Preview:Girona vs Real Oviedo – prediction, team news, lineups

The bottom two teams in the La Liga table will lock horns on Saturday afternoon, as 20th-placed Girona welcome 19th-placed Real Oviedo to Estadi Montilivi for a historic match.

The hosts will enter the match off the back of a 2-1 defeat to Barcelona, while the visitors, who are back in Spain’s top flight for the first time since 2001, were beaten 2-0 by Espanyol last time out.

Match preview

Girona lost four of their opening five La Liga matches of the season, picking up just a single point in the process, but the Catalan outfit have only been beaten in one of their last four, and there have been positive signs of late.

The team’s first win of the campaign came at home to Valencia before the October international break, while they were impressive in a 2-1 defeat to the champions Barcelona last time out.

Michel’s side have a record of one win, three draws and five defeats from their nine league matches this season to collect six points, which has left them bottom of the table.

Girona have the worst defensive record in La Liga this season, conceding 19 times in their nine matches, while they have only scored six goals, so it is not difficult to understand why it has been a struggle for them this term.

The Catalan team have won five, lost five and drawn six of their previous 16 matches against Real Oviedo, but history will be made on Saturday, as the pair prepare to lock horns for the first time in the top flight of Spanish football.

Girona recorded a 2-1 win over Real Oviedo when the two teams last met in March 2022, with that contest taking place in the Segunda Division, and Real Oviedo have not actually triumphed in this fixture since October 2019.

The visitors will enter this match off the back of a 2-0 defeat to Espanyol, and they have only posted two wins this season, beating Real Sociedad at the end of August and Valencia at the end of September.

The Blues are back in La Liga for the first time since the 2000-01 season, and a record of two wins and seven defeats from nine matches has seen them collect six points, which is only enough for 19th position.

Worryingly, Luis Carrion‘s side have only found the back of the net on four occasions in La Liga this term, and the lack of a reliable goalscorer will put major pressure on their defensive unit.

These are the type of matches that Real Oviedo will need to win if they are to stay in the division this season, and it is shaping up to be a fascinating battle on Saturday afternoon.

Girona La Liga form:

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Real Oviedo La Liga form:

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Team News

Girona will have Ivan Martin available again following a suspension, but Alejandro Frances remains banned for the Catalan outfit, who also have five injury concerns.

Juan Carlos and Donny van de Beek are definitely out with fitness problems, while David Lopez, Ricard Artero and Azzedine Ounahi all need to be assessed.

Vladyslav Vanat has scored twice in six La Liga appearances since his arrival at the club, and there will be another spot in the final third of the field for the Ukraine international.

As for Real Oviedo, Alvaro Lemos remains on the sidelines due to a knee injury, while Santi Cazorla is a major doubt due to an ankle complaint.

Alex Fores and Federico Vinas are both still waiting for their first goals of the campaign, but the pair are expected to feature in the final third of the field on Saturday afternoon.

Leander Dendoncker is one of four players to have scored for Real Oviedo in the league this term, and the ex-Aston Villa midfielder is also set to continue in the team.

Girona possible starting lineup:

Gazzaniga; Martinez, Reis, Blind, Moreno; Martin, Witsel; Gil, Portu, Roca; Vanat

Real Oviedo possible starting lineup:

Escandell; Vidal, Carmo, Bailly, Alhassane; Hassan, Dendoncker, Colombatto, Chaira; Fores, Vinas

We say: Girona 1-1 Real Oviedo

This is a really tough match to predict – it could go either way, and a home or indeed an away win would not be a surprise, but we just have a feeling that a tight and tense affair will end in a low-scoring draw.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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