Surprise package Girona will be aiming to return to winning ways on Saturday afternoon when they continue their La Liga campaign at home to Valencia.
The hosts were knocked off top spot by Real Madrid last weekend and were unable to return to the summit, as they drew 1-1 with Athletic Bilbao on Monday, while Valencia also shared the points with Celta Vigo in their last game, drawing 0-0 with Rafael Benitez's side on Saturday.
Match preview
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Girona saw a six-game winning run in all competitions come to an end on Monday evening, as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Athletic on home soil; Viktor Tsygankov made the breakthrough in the 55th minute of the contest, but Inaki Williams levelled the scores in the 67th minute.
The Catalan outfit have still enjoyed a stunning campaign to date, winning 11, drawing two and losing one of their 14 league matches to collect 35 points, and they are only second in the table to Real Madrid on the head-to-head record, having lost 3-0 to Los Blancos at the end of September.
The White and Reds finished 10th in La Liga last season, which is their highest-ever spot at this level, so the club are very much on course to create some history in 2023-24.
Michel's side will be in Copa del Rey action on December 7 against Orihuela, before the small matter of a trip to Barcelona in La Liga, and it is an interesting period of the campaign for the club, as they will then take on Alaves and Real Betis in Spain's top flight ahead of the winter break.
Girona recorded a 1-0 win over Valencia when the two teams locked horns in the corresponding match last season, but they have actually lost two of their last three home La Liga fixtures with Los Che.
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Valencia's form last season was so disappointing that it would have been hard to get worse this term, with the team finishing down in 16th spot, their lowest placing since being relegated to the Segunda Division in 1986.
Unsurprisingly, Los Che have again struggled for consistency in 2023-24, boasting a record of five wins, four draws and five defeats from 14 matches, which has left them in ninth position on 19 points.
Ruben Baraja's side have only lost one of their last six in the league, which proved to be a 5-1 defeat to Real Madrid ahead of the November international break, but they were unable to return to winning ways last weekend, being forced to accept a share of the spoils in a goalless draw with Celta at Mestalla.
The goals have not exactly flowed for the team this season, only managing 16 in their 14 fixtures, but they have improved defensively, conceding 18 times, which is far from a disastrous record.
Valencia are certainly capable of matching the best teams in the division on their day, and the visitors will be relishing the chance to inflict just a second La Liga defeat of the campaign on Girona this weekend.
Team News
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Girona will again be without the services of their leading goalscorer Artem Dovbyk this weekend, with the 26-year-old, who has netted eight times in 2023-24, out with a muscular problem.
Meanwhile, Borja Garcia, Juan Carlos, Joel Roca, Ricard Arteto and Toni Villa are also absent through injury for the team currently sitting second in the division.
Head coach Michel could select the same side that took to the field for the first whistle against Athletic, with Cristhian Stuani featuring through the middle, although Portu will also be in the manager's thinking when it comes to potential alterations.
As for Valencia, Andre Almeida remains a doubt due to a back problem, but the visitors could otherwise have a full squad for this weekend's contest.
Jose Gaya is fit despite being substituted at the interval against Celta, but there could be one change from the side that started last time out, with Selim Amallah potentially coming in for Sergi Canos.
The highly-rated Javi Guerra has enjoyed a strong season in midfield, while Hugo Duro is the team's leading goalscorer in the league this season with six, and both players will again be in the side for this contest.
Girona possible starting lineup:
Gazzaniga; A Martinez, E Garcia, Blind, Gutierrez; Tsygankov, Herrera, A Garcia, Savio; I Martin; Stuani
Valencia possible starting lineup:
Mamardashvili; Correia, Mosquera, Paulista, Gaya; F Perez, Pepelu, Guerra, Amallah; Duro, D Lopez
We say: Girona 1-1 Valencia
This is a testing period for Girona, as their winning momentum was broken last time out, and Valencia are not losing too many matches at the moment. It would not be a surprise to see Girona return to winning ways, but we have a feeling that Valencia will be good enough for a point on Saturday.
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