Girona host Barcelona in a Catalan derby on Sunday afternoon as Hansi Flick’s side look to extend their winning start to the 2024/25 season.
After a mixed pre-season, Barcelona have given the go-ahead to the start of the new campaign. A trio of tight 2-1 wins was followed by one 7-0 demolition from recently promoted Real Valladolid, one of Barça’s most convincing performances in a long time.
Facing their Catalan rivals, Girona promises to be a test of their title credentials, especially considering that they may have an eye on the start of the Champions League campaign. Travel from Barcelona to Monaco on Wednesday evening having been beaten by the Ligue 1 team in preseason
Girona, who have won their last two league games, may also be daydreaming about their first Champions League clash on Wednesday night. Last season’s surprise package will face a tantalizing trip to the French capital to face Paris Saint-Germain.
here it is 90 minutes Sunday derby guide.
Girona vs Barcelona head-to-head record (last five games)
Current form (all competitions)
|
Girona |
Barcelona |
|---|---|
|
Sevilla 0-2 Girona – 01/09/24 |
Barcelona 7-0 Real Valladolid – 31/08/24 |
|
Girona 4-0 Osasuna – 24/08/29 |
Rayo Vallecano 1-2 Barcelona – 27/08/24 |
|
Atlético de Madrid 3-0 Girona – 25/08/24 |
Barcelona 2-1 Athletic Club – 24/08/24 |
|
Real Betis 1-1 Girona – 15/08/24 |
Valencia 1-2 Barcelona – 17/08/24 |
|
Bournemouth 3-2 Girona – 08/10/24 |
Barcelona 0-3 Monaco – 08/12/24 |
|
country |
TV channel/live broadcast |
|---|---|
|
united kingdom |
Premier Sports 1, Premier Sports Player, LaLigaTV |
|
united states |
fuboTV, ESPN+, ESPN Deportes, ESPN App |
|
canada |
TSN+ |
Girona are fortunate to go into the derby relatively clean, although midfielder Yangel Herrera is a doubt for the clash after missing the international break with Venezuela with a leg injury.
With or without Herrera, Oriol Romeu will line up in midfield against the side he represented last season, while former Manchester United men Daley Blind and Donny van de Beek could also start.
Former Everton striker Arnaut Danjuma is unlikely to replace summer recruit and ex-Barcelona striker Abel Ruiz in the number nine spot, as the latter has already scored twice this season.
Predicted line-up Girona vs Barcelona (4-3-3): Gazzaniga; Frances, López, Cec, Gutiérrez; Solís, Romeo, Martin; Tsygankov, Ruiz, Gil.
The positive news for Barcelona is that young midfielder Gavi has returned to training after a long-term injury that has sidelined him since last November. He’s unlikely to appear until October, but he’s making big strides in his recovery.
Elsewhere, the injury news is not so positive for Flick. Andreas Christensen and Ronald Araujo remain missing from their defence, while their midfield will be without Marc Bernal, Frenkie de Jong and Fermin Lopez, the latter of whom picked up a hamstring injury at the start of September.
Dani Olmo has quickly adapted to life in a Barca shirt and will be desperate to feature in Sunday’s derby, with doubts over his fitness. a knee injury sustained with Spain.
Predicted line-up of Barcelona – Girona (4-2-3-1): Torrat del Ter; Kounde, Cubarsi, Martínez, Balde; Married, Peter; Yamal, Elm, Raphinha; Lewandowski.
Barcelona’s invincibility will be tested this weekend by a Girona side who seem to have found their feet after a slow start to the campaign. With Xavi, Barça lost both of their encounters with their Catalan rivals by 4-2 last season, highlighting the difficulty of Sunday’s challenge.
However, Barça come into the game in impressive form, finding victory in difficult encounters when they are not at their best. This is a skill they may need to lean on at the Estadio Montilivi, relying on their attacking flair to fire them over the line.
They have already won three of their League games 2-1 this season. Why not another?
