Girona will aim to maintain their impressive start to the 2023-24 La Liga season as they host struggling Celta Vigo at Estadi Municipal de Montilivi on Friday night.
Match Preview
Currently sitting second in the table with 25 points, level with league leaders Real Madrid, Girona has been one of the standout teams this season.
On the other hand, Celta Vigo finds themselves in 18th place, having collected only six points from their opening 10 matches.
Girona’s performance in La Liga has been remarkable so far, winning eight, drawing one, and losing one of their 10 matches.
Their only defeat came against Real Madrid at home in September, but they have responded strongly since then.
Prior to the international break, they secured a 1-0 victory over Cadiz and followed it up with an impressive 5-2 win against Almeria.
Artem Dovbyk, who has scored five league goals this season, was instrumental in their comeback from a two-goal deficit in the latter match.
Despite being in just their fourth-ever season in La Liga, Girona is on track to achieve their best finish yet.
While it may be challenging for them to sustain their current form and compete for a top-four position, their performances this season have been nothing short of incredible.
In contrast, Celta Vigo has struggled, only managing six points from their 10 matches, leaving them in the 18th position.
They have recorded one win, three draws, and six defeats so far, with a disappointing tally of only 10 goals scored, one of the lowest in the league.
Although Celta Vigo has had recent success against Girona, including a 1-0 victory in their last encounter, they are currently experiencing a difficult period.
Failing to win any of their last six league matches, they enter this game following a 3-0 home loss to Atletico Madrid.
However, history suggests that this fixture could be closely contested, as their previous meeting ended in a 1-1 draw.
Team News:
Girona will be missing Borja Garcia, Juan Carlos, Bernardo Espinosa, Joel Roca, Ricard Artero, and Toni Villa for the upcoming clash.
However, they have no fresh injury concerns and are likely to field the same starting XI as their previous match.
Artem Dovbyk will lead the attack, supported by Ivan Martin and Savio, who both impressed in their last outing.
Celta Vigo, on the other hand, will be without Joseph Aidoo due to a long-term knee injury, while Carles Perez and Mihailo Ristic are sidelined until at least the middle of next month.
Goalkeeper Ivan Villar is also unavailable after being sent off in their previous game.
Vicente Guaita is expected to start in goal, with Anastasios Douvikas likely to replace Iago Aspas in the forward line.
Predicted Lineups:
Girona:
Gazzaniga;
E Garcia, D Lopez, Blind;
Couto, Herrera, A Garcia, Gutierrez;
Martin, Dovbyk, Savio
Celta Vigo:
Guaita;
Vazquez, Starfelt, Nunez, Sanchez;
Mingueza, Beltran, De la Torre;
Larsen, Douvikas, Bamba
Prediction:
Considering Celta Vigo’s current struggles, it is difficult to back them for a positive result in this match.
However, we anticipate a closely contested game, with Girona ultimately securing their ninth league victory of the season.