Girona vs Villarreal prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2024-05-13 20:00.
[p]What a season it has been for La Liga’s big surprise package Girona, who have secured their maiden appearance in the UEFA Champions League group stage for next season with games to spare. Second place is the height of their ambitions now, but on the back of a four-game unbeaten run (W3, D1), they look well-placed to remain shoulder-to-shoulder with Barcelona as the season nears its conclusion. [/p]
[p]Having only lost at home to champions Real Madrid (W14, D2, L1), it’s perhaps unsurprising that Girona have accrued at least 27 more points this term than at the same stage of any of their three prior La Liga campaigns. MĂchel’s men have scored at least three goals in seven of the last eight league wins here, which is exactly the kind of scoring form they’ll need as the boss looks to improve on his indifferent personal record against Villarreal (W1, D2, L3).[/p]
[p]That’s a record that Villarreal will want to worsen here as they kept their slim hopes of European qualification alive with a stunning 3-2 win against Sevilla last time out, a game in which they had to score two equalisers before netting a stoppage time winner! Boss Marcelino said that winning games like that “tastes better,” although they would arguably rather reel the top-seven in with much less drama this time around.[/p]
[p]A lack of consistency has plagued Villarreal, as each of their last eight competitive away games have produced a different result from the prior game (W4, D2, L2), a run in which they were knocked out of the Copa del Rey and eliminated from Europe. A run of five straight victories in competitive away H2Hs may well boost hopes of the Yellow Submarine sinking Girona, although four of those wins came with slender single-goal margins. [/p]
[p]Players to watch: Two of the standout La Liga top scorer candidates go head-to-head here. Girona’s Artem Dovbyk (G20) scored in the opening five minutes in two of his last four scoring appearances, while just one goal behind him, Villarreal’s Alexander Sørloth has scored decisively in six of his last seven scoring appearances in all competitions. [/p]
[p]Hot stat: Other than Real Madrid, no side has avoided defeat in a larger percentage of their league games as away betting outsiders than Villarreal (67% – W4, D4, L4). [/p]