La Liga: Catalonia Test for Los Blancos

Girona vs Real Madrid

Real Madrid heads north to Catalonia on Saturday, not for an El Clasico, but for a La Liga clash against rapidly improving Girona.

Los Gironistes have picked up 10 points from their last four Primera Division games, following up three victories with a creditable 2-2 draw away to Villarreal last week. That strong run of La Liga 2024 results has taken Michel’s team up to eighth place in the league table and within two points of the European places. 

Meanwhile, Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid have been hunting down Barcelona at the top of the table. The Blaugrana battered Real Mallorca 5-1 on Tuesday. But then on Wednesday night, Los Blancos lost 2-1 away to Athletic Bilbao, and they remain four points adrift, though with a game in hand.

The last time the second-placed Los Blancos met a Catalonian side they were on the end of a 4-0 El Clasico thumping, but the La Liga 2024 odds predict they will have a happier time on Saturday.

 

Talking Points

Credit to Gironistes’ big players

Girona went to Villarreal on a good run and they continued to progress, this time showing real spirit as they came back from a two-goal deficit to take a point with a 97^th-minute leveller from Ladislav Krejki. Veteran striker Cristhian Stuani provided the assist and, at 38 years of age, he is rolling back the years and top scoring with four goals. And while Stuani is still banging the goals in and leading by example, four of his teammates were picked for the La Liga XI of November.  

Spain U21 defender Arnau Martinez was selected in recognition of his polished displays on the right side of defence which were a feature of Girona’s superb 2023/24 campaign. Still only 21, Martinez has well over 100 appearances for Los Gironistes. And on the other flank, 23-year-old left wing-back Michel Gutierrez also made the star XI. He starred in the Spain 2024 Olympic teams, and Gutierrez is another Girona defender with a bright future.

Another 23-year-old, winger Bryan Gil, is picked for his sparkling displays up front, and he has scored two goals and made three assists so far, bagging a goal in Girona’s recent 4-1 thrashing of Espanyol. Gil also made two assists in that match as the fourth name on the list, forward Bojan Miovski, helped himself to a brace while also providing an assist himself. The North Macedonian is the senior member of this quartet at 25, and it is clear that Stuani has a dynamic young team around him.             

 

Unhappy Mbappe 

Ancelotti’s men have certainly been making progress in the league (until Wednesday) but they have struggled on the big occasions. Los Blancos failed to stop the Liverpool juggernaut when the two clubs met in the Champions League and that after they had capitulated against Barcelona with an El Clasico mauling. And the Wednesday defeat to Athletic Bilbao has exposed some more vulnerabilities in Los Blancos’ side.

There has been much said of summer recruit Kylian Mbappe’s impact on the team. The France star is clearly a special talent and, alongside Vinicius Junior, he is top scoring for Real Madrid with eight goals. But there has been some concern that maybe Mbappe has unsettled the balance of an already star-studded creative group at the Bernabeu and, over the last couple of weeks, he has made the headlines for his misses in front of goal specifically from 12 yards.

In the defeat to Bilbao Mbappe missed a penalty, as he did in the Champions League loss to Liverpool and, while he is never short of self-belief, those misses may play on his mind when he next has a chance.

While Vinicius has made five assists, Mbappe has provided just one and so goals are his main and meaningful contribution, and he is already seven goals behind Barca’s Robert Lewandowski and three behind the Pole’s Blaugrana colleague Raphinha. He is finding La Liga a different prospect to Ligue 1, where he dominated with impunity, and Mbappe is right under the spotlight. Let’s see how he responds.                 

 

History

Real Madrid have won six of their 10 meetings with the Catalans while Girona have won three, and there has been one draw. Last season, despite having a fantastic campaign, Los Gironistes were slapped twice in this fixture, 3-0 at home and 4-0 away.

In terms of recent form, Girona have won three, drawn two, and lost two of the last seven, while Real Madrid have won three and lost four, with two of those losses in the Champions League. But Los Blancos are unbeaten away in the league, as they have won three and drawn three on the road this season.  

 

Betting Tip

There is plenty of choice for this game with SBOTOP Asian handicap sports betting, and Real Madrid at 1.65 or Girona +1.00 at 1.69 are both reasonable shouts. But my hunch is another disappointment for Ancelotti’s men and, for a long shot alternative, a 1-1 draw is priced at 6.85.

   

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