La Liga | Gameweek 15

Dec 1, 2024 at 1pm UK

Estadio de la Ceramica

Villarrealvs.Girona

Match preview

Villarreal have had a pretty good season so far, with seven wins, four draws and two losses in 13 La Liga matches. That puts them in fourth place in the table, four points behind third-placed Atlético Madrid with a game in hand.

The Yellow Submarine have been a great team to watch in La Liga this season, scoring 25 times and conceding 21. However, they will likely need to improve their defence to secure a top-four finish in the division.

Marcelino's side drew 2-2 with Osasuna last time out. They were two goals behind in Pamplona, but Alex Baena halved the deficit in the 67th minute. Then, in the 93rd minute, Gerard Moreno scored from the penalty spot to secure a share of the spoils.

Villarreal have been on a winning streak lately, with five straight unbeaten matches across all competitions. They recently celebrated a 3-0 victory over Alaves in front of their home crowd, and they also had a strong showing in the Copa del Rey, where they thumped Poblense 6-1 at the end of October.

The Yellow Submarine have actually been better on their travels this term than at home, with 14 of their 25 points coming away. In comparison, Girona have gathered just eight points from their seven league games on the road during the 2024-25 campaign.

Given how well Girona did last season, it was always going to be a tough year for them. They finished third in La Liga, which meant they got into the Champions League.

The 2023-24 season was their best ever, but this term has been a bit of a struggle. The Catalan team has found it tough to adapt to playing twice a week and has lost four of its five Champions League games, leaving it in 30th place in the table ahead of its next European clash with Liverpool.

Michel's side have won their last three league games against Leganés, Getafe and Espanyol, which has moved them up into seventh place in the table.

The White and Reds are just four points behind fourth-placed Villarreal, even though they've played a game more, and they beat the Yellow Submarine 2-1 in the corresponding match during the 2023-24 season.

That said, Villarreal have won four of the last five meetings in Spain's top flight. The hosts will be the fresher of the two sides, with Girona in Champions League action on Wednesday, having suffered a 1-0 defeat to Sturm Graz in Austria.

Recent Performance

Villarreal La Liga form:WLDWWD

Villarreal form (all competitions):LDWWWD

Girona La Liga form:WLLWWL

Girona form (all competitions):WWLWWL

Team News

Villarreal are missing a few key players at the moment due to injury. Ramon Torres, Eric Bailly, Ayoze Perez, Ilias Akhomach, Nicolas Pepe, Juan Foyth and Alfonso Pedraza are all out of action.

Gerard Moreno came on for Terrats at half-time in the match against Osasuna, and it looks like he'll be in the starting XI tonight, which would be the only change from the last match.

Denis Suarez and Juan Bernat are in line for a change, but it looks like Sergi Cardona will be back at left-back, with Yeremy Pino keeping his spot down the right.

Girona are in a much better position in terms of injuries, with just three players definitely out for this game: Yangel Herrera, Gabriel Misehouy and Portu.

Head coach Michel will make some changes to the side that started against Sturm Graz in the Champions League. It looks like Yaser Asprilla will be back in, and Donny van de Beek should be back in the XI too.

Bojan Miovski scored two goals against Espanyol in the league last weekend, and the 25-year-old will lead the line again this week, with Arnaut Danjuma and Viktor Tsygankov potentially starting on the bench.

Possible starting lineup

Villarreal possible starting lineup:

Conde; Navarro, Albiol, Costa, S Cardona; Pino, Parejo, Comesana, Baena; Barry, G Moreno

Girona possible starting lineup:

Gazzaniga; A Martinez, D Lopez, Krejci, Blind; Romeu, Gutierrez; Asprilla, Van de Beek, Gil; Miovski