Girona v Barcelona

Barcelona dropped to 2nd place after Real Madrid’s victory last night. Can they regain the top spot with a victory over neighbours Girona?

Girona v Barcelona – Estadi Montilivi 21:00 CET

Team News:

Girona are without van de Beek, Moreno, Portu and ter Stegen. Best player this season Azzedine Ounahi is available after long injury so that’s a boost.

Barcelona are still missing Gavi, Pedri and Christensen. Marcus Rashford is unavailable but good news as Raphina is cleared fit to play.

---

Formations:

4-2-3-1 the most used for Girona but they will tighten up here and will likely revert to low block to stave off Barcelona.

4-2-3-1 at times for Barcelona but 4-3-3 in recent weeks. All out attack for them as they are not very good defensively.

Statistics:

Referee: Jean Luis Pulido Santana (Average cards 4.81 Yellow 0.14 Red)

---

Match Preview:

Barcelona will look to regain the lead over Real Madrid, sitting just two points behind them going into this game. Girona, meanwhile, remain only four points above the relegation zone and have struggled at home, managing just three victories in front of their supporters. Barcelona’s impressive run of six straight wins came to an abrupt halt with a heavy 4-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey semi-finals. Their league form on the road has been strong, with eight wins from twelve away matches.

Betting Preview:

Barcelona should win this one with the attacking threat they have. However, they are struggling defensively with just two clean sheets in the last eight games despite only really playing one decent side (Atletico Madrid) in that run. Both teams to score and Barcelona win is a solid option.