Girona vs Barcelona Preview & Prediction | 2024-25 Spanish Primera
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These two sides finished in the top four last season with Girona ahead of Barcelona for much of the campaign and it could well be a fascinating Catalan derby this weekend as Barca make the short trip to Girona.
KICK-OFF DATE/TIME: Sunday 15th September, 2024 - UK – 3:15pm / US ET – 10:15am / US PT – 7:15am
HOW TO WATCH ON TV: UK – Premier Sports / US – ESPN have the exclusive rights to La Liga games in the USA, so Girona vs Barcelona may be televised on one of their affiliated channels
HOW TO WATCH ONLINE: UK – Premier Sports / US – ESPN+
GIRONA PREVIEW: GENIUS OF GIRONA
After another summer of upheaval with the departures of key players such as Aleix Garcia, Savio and Artem Dovbyk; Girona, under the umbrella of the City Football Group, may well have unearthed a few more gems and Michel has been right to temper expectations but it has once again been a good start in the circumstances.
A 3-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid, in which that scoreline is very harsh, aside and Girona have collected seven points in their other three games. They have hammered Osasuna in Catalonia whilst also enjoying a comfortable win in Seville against Sevilla as well as a fortuitous but hard-fought point in Seville against Real Betis.
BARCELONA PREVIEW: FANTASTIC FOR FLICK
It has been a magnificent start to the 2024/25 season for Barcelona and the start of the Hansi Flick era. The former Bayern Munich and Germany boss arrived at a club still in chaos off the field but the Blaugrana have been excellent on the pitch and went into the September international break on the back of a perfect start to the season.
The Catalans managed four successive victories and that means they begin this weekend sitting already four points ahead of the next best teams with Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Villarreal all on eight points. Barca’s most recent outing saw them hammer newly-promoted Real Valladolid by seven goals to nil at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys in Catalonia.
GIRONA TEAM NEWS: DOUBTS OVER YANGEL HERRERA
Defensive midfielder Yangel Herrera remains a doubt for this weekend after featuring for Venezuela in CONMEBOL’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign.
Aside from the former Manchester City man, Michel only has to worry about a couple of young long-term injury absentees, Ricard Artero and Jastin Garcia, for this one.
PREDICTED XI (4-3-3): Paulo Gazzaniga; Alejandro Frances, David Lopez, Blind, Miguel Gutierrez; Ivan Martin, Oriol Romeu, Yangel Herrera; Tsygankov, Abel Ruiz, Bryan Gil
UNAVAILABLE: Ricard Artero (Injured), Jastin Garcia (Injured)
QUESTIONABLE: Yangel Herrera (Injured)
BARCELONA TEAM NEWS: A FEW ISSUES
Ronald Araujo remains unavailable with a serious hamstring injury alongside other key first-teamers such as Andreas Christensen and Netherlands international Frenkie de Jong.
17-year-old Marc Bernal had an excellent start to the season but he is unavailable with an ACL injury alongside other La Masia graduates Gavi and Fermin Lopez.
PREDICTED XI (4-2-3-1): Ter Stegen; Kounde, Pau Cubarsi, Inigo Martinez, Alex Balde; Pedri, Marc Casado; Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Raphinha; Lewandowski
UNAVAILABLE: Ronald Araujo (Injured), Christensen (Injured), De Jong (Injured), Marc Bernal (Injured), Fermin Lopez (Injured), Gavi (Injured)
QUESTIONABLE:
GIRONA VS BARCELONA PREDICTION
Not to get overly excited about this game but it surely is the game of the weekend in Spain, despite the tantalising prospect of Real Madrid facing Real Sociedad in the Basque Country. A Catalan derby between two UEFA Champions League qualifiers and two sides that play proactive and attacking football is not one to miss for the neutral with a high-scoring encounter to be expected on Sunday.
GIRONA VS BARCELONA TIP: OVER 2.5 GOALS
