Girona host Villarreal at Estadi Montilivi in La Liga on Monday, looking inch towards finishing a memorable 2023/24 season on a high.
Girona are currently second in the league table, and they are unbeaten in five of the six league matches heading into the home game against Villarreal at Estadi Montilivi on Tuesday. They are coming into this game on the back of a draw against Deportivo Alaves and will look to bounce back at home with a win.
Meanwhile, Villarreal are ninth in the league table, and they bounced back from the defeat against Celta Vigo with a thrilling win over Sevilla. The Yellow Submarine will look to end the season strongly, and it remains to be seen whether they can grind out a win here.
Villarreal have an impressive head-to-head against Girona. But they were beaten at home earlier this season, and Girona will look to complete a league double over them. 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 Ricard Artero due to an ankle injury, while Joel Roca misses out with ACL damage and Arnau Martinez is suspended due to an accumulation of yellow cards. The home team will shape up in a 4-5-1 formation, with Paulo Gazzaniga in goal.
Eric Garcia and Miguel Gutierrez will start as the full-backs here. They will look to help out in the attack and protect the central defenders as well. David Lopez will start in central defence alongside Daley Blind. They will look to keep things compact in the middle.
Viktor Tsyhankov will start on the right wing with Portu on the left. They will look to add pace, flair, and creativity from the wide areas. In the middle of the park, Ivan Martin will start alongside Yangel Herrera and Aleix Garcia.
Herrera and Martin will look to add goals and creativity to the side and Garcia will look to break down opposition attacks. Artem Dovbyk will lead the line for Girona against Villarreal on Monday.
Probable Lineup (4-5-1): Gazzaniga; Eric Garcia, Lopez, Blind, Gutierrez; Tsyhankov, Martin, Herrera, Aleix Garcia, Portu; Dovbyk
Denis Suarez misses out with a hamstring problem. Otherwise, Marcelino has a full-strength squad at his disposal ahead of Monday’s fixture. Villarreal will shape up in a 4-4-2 formation with Filip Jorgensen in goal.
Kiko Femenia and Jorge Cuenca will start as the full-backs. They will look to create goalscoring opportunities for their teammates and help out defensively as well. Raul Albiol will start in the central defensive partnerhsip alongside Yerson Mosquera.
Dani Parejo and Santi Comesana will start in the middle of the park. They will look to add defensive cover and composure in the midfield. Both players will look to control the tempo of the game. Ilias Akhomach and Alex Baena will add creativity to the side from the flanks. Finally, Alexander Sorloth and Gerard Moreno will lead the line for the away side.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Jorgensen; Femenia, Albiol, Mosquera, Cuenca; Akhomach, Comesana, Parejo, Baena; Moreno, Sorloth
Key Stats
- Villarreal have won their last five away matches against Girona in all competitions.
- There have been over 2.5 goals scored in Villarreal’s last four games in La Liga.
- There have been over 2.5 goals scored in five of Girona’s last six games La Liga.
- 12 goals have been scored in the last six meetings between these two sides.
- Villarreal have conceded nine goals in the last six matches.
Player to Watch
Artem Dovbyk
The 26-year-old Girona striker is our key player to watch out for this week. The Ukrainian international has 20 goals and seven assists in 29 La Liga starts this season, and he will look to continue his impressive run of form with a strong performance.
The home team will need him to step up and make a difference in the final third if they want to grind out all three points here. Villarreal have looked vulnerable defensively at times, and the Ukrainian striker could cause all sorts of problems for them.
Prediction
Girona 2-1 Villarreal
The home team has been in very impressive form this season, and they will look to finish as the runners-up. They are full of confidence right now, and their performances have been quite impressive in recent weeks as well.
They managed to beat Villarreal away from home and they will look to repeat that performance here. This is likely to be a close contest, but Girona should be able to edge this one. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Michel and his charges.