Girona vs Barcelona prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2023-01-27 15:15.
Despite a saved penalty in added time, ten-man Girona fell to an agonising 1-0 loss at Villarreal last Sunday to another spot-kick beyond the 100th minute. That result halted the club’s best unbeaten run (W3, D4) in La Liga (LL) history but manager MĂchel Sánchez’s belief that his team “deserved a point” might inspire Girona to deliver a positive result in this Catalan derby against Barcelona, something which the boss couldn’t achieve with two previous sides (L3).
Girona have traditionally struggled in LL H2Hs (D1, L3, GA:13) which casts doubts about their ability to halt MĂchel’s losing streak. Defensive frailties may once again be a concern as the hosts are yet to keep a home clean sheet this campaign, though an unbeaten five-game run at this venue (W2, D3) raises hopes of avoiding a defeat.
Table-topping Barcelona will look to dampen those spirits however, after a 1-0 win over Real Sociedad on Wednesday extended their unbeaten competitive run (W11, D1) and earned them a ticket to Copa del Rey semis. The omens are good for the visitors with their current league points tally (44) their highest after 17 games since 2017/18, a campaign when they emerged as champions!
With two of their next three league games against European qualification hopefuls, Barça won’t want to miss the chance to temporarily extend their lead at the top of league standings to six points with a win. Perhaps surprisingly for a team famed for its attacking output, it’s in defence where Barcelona have truly excelled, with Xavi’s side registering an impressive 76.47% LL clean sheets so far, which has helped them land five of their last 14 league wins by a 1-0 scoreline.
Players to watch: Christhian Stuani has scored two of Girona’s three league goals against Barcelona, but has a personal-high six yellow cards versus the visitors. Ousmane Dembélé will want his name in lights here however, with his last two goals earning competitive 1-0 wins for Barcelona.
Hot stat: Girona have scored six goals beyond the 80th minute this league campaign, directly contributing to nine points (W2, D3, L1).