Reigning champions Real Madrid host promoted Girona within the Spanish prime flight on Sunday afternoon.
A rotated Real Madrid aspect misplaced their first match of the season in midweek, succumbing to a 3-2 reverse away to RB Leipzig within the Champions League. The bitter twang of defeat is a much more acquainted style for Girona. The Catalan aspect have misplaced 4 of their final six matches and trudge into the weekend contained in the relegation zone.
Here’s the whole lot it’s good to know concerning the assembly between two sides at reverse ends of La Liga’s standings.
Real Madrid vs Girona H2H Results (Last Five Games)
Real Madrid: 4 Wins
Girona: 1 Win
Draws: 0
Current Form (Last Five Games)
Real Madrid: DWWWL
Girona: LLDLD
Real Madrid crew news
Luka Modric, Dani Ceballos and Mariano Diaz have returned to full coaching. Karim Benzema has been blighted by damage since limping off towards Celtic in September and was solely risked for half of Friday’s session. Fede Valverde labored individually after taking a heavy blow towards Sevilla final weekend.
Real Madrid Starting 11 (4-3-3): Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Alaba, Mendy; Modric, Tchouameni, Camavinga; Asensio, Rodrygo, Vinicius.
Bench: Lunin, Vazquez, Nacho, Vallejo, Hazard, Rudiger, Ceballos, Diaz, Odriozola.
Girona crew news
Injury has prevented each Borja Garcia and Ibrahima Kebe from that includes since Girona’s promotion to the Primera this summer season. Real Madrid loanee Reinier missed 4 matches in October with a hamstring pressure, however got here off the bench in the course of the membership’s draw with excessive-flying Osasuna final weekend.
Girona Starting 11 (4-4-1-1): Gazzaniga; Couto, Lopez, Bueno, Hernandez; Herrera, Garcia, Romeu, Villa; Vallejo; Stuani.
Bench: Fuidias, Espinosa, Gutierrez, Reinier, Fernandez, Riquelme, Castellanos, Saiz, Terrats.
“Sometimes, you learn more from a loss than from ten wins in a row,” Carlo Ancelotti sagely supplied within the wake of Madrid’s midweek defeat. One of the takeaways for the Italian was to “play a lower block”, giving Madrid extra space to counter into and restrict the transitional alternatives of their opponents.
Girona might be an agreeable foe for Madrid to deploy this strategy towards. The promoted outfit have been eager to carry onto the ball since arising – giving Ancelotti’s crew licence to take a seat again – however wrestle to transform their possession into penetration.
Up towards a Madrid aspect stung by a uncommon setback, Girona’s watch for a maiden clear sheet this season could also be prolonged for one more week.
Prediction: Real Madrid 3-1 Girona