Two sides who find themselves at opposite ends of La Liga table after 20 rounds will do battle at Estadi Municipal de Montilivi on Sunday as leaders Girona entertain relegation battlers Sevilla.
Girona lost ground in La Liga title race last weekend as they were held to a surprise 0-0 draw by bottom-of-the-table Almeria, with Sevilla looking to play spoilsport next.
The point was enough to lift them to the top of the table. But the Catalan outfit have played a game more than Real Madrid, who are just a point behind them.
Michel’s side, though, bounced back by securing a place in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey with a comfortable 3-1 home win over Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday evening. And Girona will look to get their league title charge back on track at Estadi Municipal de Motilivi when struggling Sevilla come to town.
The 2023/24 season has brought little to no respite for Los Nervionenses , as they look set for another campaign battling at the wrong end of La Liga table. Quique Sanchez Flores’s side currently sit just a place and a point above the bottom three places. But they come into this latest round of matches having suffered five defeats in their last six matches in La Liga.
Girona took the points on the road in the reverse fixture against Sevilla, winning 2-1 at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium back in late August. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Girona
Girona will be without the services of Joel Roca, Ricard Artero, and Toni Villa on Sunday, while Eric Garcia remains a major doubt due to a muscular issue. They will also miss Aleix Garcia after the midfielder’s dismissal against Almeria last Sunday, while David Lopez will be serving the third of a four-match suspension for comments that he made about referee Miguel Angel Ortiz Arias back in October.
Yangel Herrera could come in to replace the suspended Garcia this weekend after recovering from an injury to start on Wednesday. His precision and power have been missed in recent weeks and will be key in Garcia’s absence.
Michel could bring back Artem Dovbyk to spearhead his attack in place of Cristhian Stuani, despite the latter bagging a well-taken brace last time out. The Ukrainian international will feature alongside the in-form and in-demand Savio and compatriot Viktor Tsygankov.
Juanpe started at the heart of the defence and took the captain’s armband last time out, and he should keep his place alongside Daley Blind, with Yan Couto and Miguel Gutierrez keeping their full-back slots.
Probable Lineup (4-4-1-1): Gazzaniga; Couto, Juanpe, Blind, Gutierrez; Torre, Herrera, Martin; Savio, Dovbyk, Tysgankov
Sevilla
Sevilla have been hit hard by injuries in recent weeks, and the visitors will again be without a number of important players for this contest. Djibril Sow, Kike Salas, Nemanja Gudelj, Dodi Lukebakio, and Marcos Acuna are all definitely out through various injuries. But Orjan Nyland is back in full training and could start in goal ahead of Marko Dmitrovic.
They will also be missing Youssef En-Nesyri, with the forward set to represent Morocco at the Africa Cup of Nations. So, Isaac Romero should get the nod for a starting spot after he scored twice against Getafe in the Copa del Rey in midweek. Lucas Ocampos could also feature in the final third of the field.
Boubakary Soumare is suspended due to yellow card accumulation and will not be present in midfield for Sevilla this weekend. Hannibal Mejbri, who signed on loan from Manchester United this week, could take his place to sit alongside playmaker Ivan Rakitic in the engine room, with Suso and Oliver Torres offering width to the attack.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Nyland; Juanlu, Ramos, Bade, Pedrosa; Suso, Mejbri, Rakitic, Torres; Ocampos, Romero
Key Stats
- Girona have won their last four matches against Sevilla in all competitions.
- Girona are undefeated in their last 12 La Liga games.
- Sevilla have lost five of their last six La Liga matches.
- The hosts’ have won nine of their 11 competitive home games this season.
- Girona are first in La Liga for goals scored with 46 in 20 matches, while Sevilla ranks 15th in goals conceded with 30 in 20 games.
Player to Watch
Artem Dovbyk
Dovbyk moved to Girona this past summer from Dnipro-1 and has been a sensational pick-up by the Blanquivermells. His incredible goal-scoring performances have helped Girona stun their La Liga rivals this term.
The 26-year-old Ukrainian attacker has 11 goals to his name from 19 appearances this term and has found the net four times in his last five games. Indeed, he will be looking to maintain his red-hot form in front of goal here against a leaky Sevilla side.
Prediction
Girona 2-1 Sevilla
Sevilla certainly have the ability to be competitive and cause sides problems, more so than their results this season suggest. But Girona will be full of confidence in front of their home support and with momentum on their side. And we can only envisage them getting back to winning ways and seeing off the struggling Nervionenses. The Hard Tackle predicts Girona to beat Sevilla 2-1 on Sunday.
