Second placed Girona will look to extend their 14-match unbeaten run when they host sixth-placed Real Sociedad on Saturday.
Michel’s men have been doing wonders since the start of the 2023/24 season. Girona are serious title challengers and will look to strengthen their case with a win against Real Sociedad have been inconsistent of late.
The home team are currently second in La Liga, just two points behind league leaders Real Madrid. They have won 17 out of their 22 matches and have only suffered one defeat, which came against Los Blancos back in September last year.
Girona are heading into this fixture on the back of a hard-fought 1-0 win over Celta Vigo. They did have the majority of the ball and created quite a few chances but could only find the back of the net once. However, they did manage to keep things tight at the back and came out with all three points.
Meanwhile, Real Sociedad have been quite inconsistent of late, they have only won one out of their last five league games and they will have to put up a much better performance than they have done in the recent past to stand a chance against Girona.
They are currently sixth on the points table with 36 points out of their 22 matches thanks to their nine wins as many draws. The visitors are heading into this fixture on the back of a 0-0 draw against Rayo Vallecano. They were far from their best and if they don’t pick themselves up, things could get worse against the title contenders.
The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Team News & Tactics
Girona
The home team will be without the services of Eric Garcia, Juanpe, David Lopez, Joel Roca, and Toni Villa for this fixture. Michel is unlikely to make any major changes to the XI that featured in their previous outing. They are expected to stick to the 4-2-3-1 formation for this fixture and Paulo Gazzaniga should be the one in goal.
Yan Couto and Miguel Gutierrez will start out wide in defence. They will look to join the attack when the opportunity presents itself but the primary focus will be on helping out their centre-back pairing of Daley Blind and Arnau Martínez.
Aleix Garcia and Yangel Herrera will form the double pivot in front of the back line. They will look to shield the back line and supply the ball to their attack-minded players.
Viktor Tsygankov and Savio will start out wide on the flanks. They will provide width to their attacks and will look to link up with Ivan Martin who will feature as the attacking midfielder just behind Artem Dovbyk, who will lead the line for Girona against Real Sociedad.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Gazzaniga; Couto, Arnau Martinez, Blind, Gutierrez; Herrera, Aleix Garcia; Tsyhankov, Martin, Savio; Dovbyk
Real Sociedad
The visitors will be without the services of Arsen Zakharyan, Martin Merquelanz, Kieran Tierney, Aihen Munoz, Carlos Fernandez, and Ander Barrenetxea. Meanwhile, Takefusa Kubo and Hamari Traore are both out on international duty. They do have a boost as Mikel Merino is back after serving his suspension.
Real Sociedad will continue with the 5-3-2 formation, where Alex Remiro will be in goal. The back three will be made up of Martin Zubeldia, Robin Le Normand and Jon Pacheco. The trio will look for a clean sheet and will have the support of Javi Galan and Jon Aramburu, who will be the wing-backs for the visitors.
In the centre of the park, Brais Mendez will feature alongside Martin Zubimendi and Mikel Merino. The trio will look to ensure the Girona midfielders do not end up dominating the proceedings. In attack, Mikel Oyarzabal will start alongside Sheraldo Becker.
Probable Lineup (5-3-2): Remiro; Aramburu, Zubeldia, Le Normand, Pacheco, Galan; Mendez, Zubimendi, Merino; Oyarzabal, Becker
Key Stats
- Girona have been unbeaten in their last 14 matches.
- The visitors have the joint-third best defensive record in the league having conceded 21 goals in 22 outings.
- The home team have the best attack in the league having scored 52 goals in 22 outings.
- Real Sociedad have only won one out of their last six league games.
- Girona have only lost once in the league this season.
Player to Watch
Artem Dovbyk
Dovbyk has taken his game to another level since joining Girona last summer. He is one of the main reasons for their dominating run in the league. The 26-year-old forward has featured in 21 league games and has contributed towards 20 goals. He has found the back of the net on 14 occasions so far and will look to add to it when Girona host Real Sociedad.
Prediction
Girona 2-1 Real Sociedad
Girona haven’t lost in the league for over four months now, they have been unbeaten in 14 matches whereas their opposition have only won one out of their last six league games.
The recent form suggests the home team are the favourites heading into this fixture. They have the best attack in the league and Real Sociedad will find it difficult to stop them. The Hard Tackle predicts a hard-fought 2-1 win for the home team.