Girona vs Osasuna Preview & Prediction | 2024-25 Spanish Primera
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Girona manager Michel has already discussed how difficult this season will be for his side after they finished third last season. They have a point from their opening two games as they welcome Osasuna to Catalonia this week.
KICK-OFF DATE/TIME: Thursday 29th August, 2024 - UK – 6:00pm / US ET – 1:00pm / US PT – 10:00am
HOW TO WATCH ON TV: UK – Premier Sports / US – ESPN have the exclusive rights to La Liga games in the USA, so Girona vs Osasuna may be televised on one of their affiliated channels
HOW TO WATCH ONLINE: UK – Premier Sports / US – ESPN+
GIRONA PREVIEW: CHANGES GALORE IN GIRONA
Last summer, Girona lost key players such as Santi Bueno, Oriol Romeu and Valentin Castellanos and there were some concerns over the state of their squad but it was rebuilt and they managed to go on and finish third, their highest ever position in La Liga, in just their fifth top-flight season.
This summer, Michel, despite achieving UEFA Champions League qualification, has also had to lose key men such as Aleix Garcia, Savio and Artem Dovbyk. They began with a 1-1 draw against Real Betis before them being hammered 3-0 by Atletico Madrid at the weekend, although that scoreline was quite harsh in the end.
OSASUNA PREVIEW: INTRIGUING START
Following the departure of manager Jago Arrasate to Real Mallorca over the summer, Osasuna took the decision to appoint former Almeria manager Vicente Moreno, who badly struggled with the Andalusians last season. There was a bit of concern that Osasuna may head into a downward trajectory.
Those concerns then became a little clearer and stronger on the opening day of the season when they were very fortunate to share a 1-1 draw with Leganes with Juan Soriano’s own goal saving a point for Osasuna at El Sadar before they then welcomed Jago Arrasate’s Mallorca to Navarre and edged past them by a goal to nil.
GIRONA TEAM NEWS: ADDITIONAL HEADING HERE
In both seasons since returning to the top-flight, not only have Girona performed impressively but they have also been one of the most entertaining teams to watch with Michel’s attacking 4-2-3-1 system.
The Catalans are dealing with just a couple of injury concerns for this week’s visit of Osasuna as a couple of youngsters, Ricard Artero and Jastin Garcia, remain unavailable for this one.
PREDICTED XI (4-3-3): Paulo Gazzaniga; Arnau Martinez, David Lopez, Blind, Miguel Gutierrez; Ivan Martin, Oriol Romeu, Yangel Herrera; Tsygankov, Abel Ruiz, Bryan Gil
UNAVAILABLE: Ricard Artero (Injured), Jastin Garcia (Injured)
QUESTIONABLE:
OSASUNA TEAM NEWS: LIMITED IN ATTACK
There are a couple of issues for Osasuna to iron out but, despite collecting four points from two matches, performance levels have been quite low and a little concerning.
Those low performance levels do stem from being blunt up-front as they make the trip to Catalonia and they remain without key attacker Kike Barja for this week.
PREDICTED XI (4-1-4-1): Sergio Herrera; Jesus Areso, Alejandro Catena, Jorge Herrando, Abel Bretones; Lucas Torro; Ruben Garcia, Jon Moncayola, Aimar Oroz, Bryan Zaragoza; Budimir
UNAVAILABLE: Kike Barja (Injured)
QUESTIONABLE:
GIRONA VS OSASUNA PREDICTION
It has been a tricky start to the season for Girona but there remains a hope that Michel and his recruitment staff will have been able to uncover some gems for the season ahead, such as the goal scorer of their equaliser against Betis on the opening day in Gabriel Misehouy, who was playing for Jong Ajax last season. Osasuna, despite what appears a positive start to the season on paper, may well be a little concerning so backing Girona looks the way to go for this one.
GIRONA VS OSASUNA TIP: GIRONA TO WIN
