La Liga | Gameweek 12

Nov 2, 2024 at 3.15pm UK

Estadi Municipal de Montilivi

Girona vs Leganes

Match preview

Girona enjoyed a historic season in 2023-24, finishing third in La Liga, their best ever finish in the Spanish top flight, and qualifying for the league phase of the Champions League.

It was always going to be difficult for Girona to match that this season, and their domestic form has suffered as a result of their involvement in the Champions League, with a total of 12 points from 11 games leaving them 13th in the La Liga table.

They were beaten 1-0 by Las Palmas in the league last weekend, but they progressed to the second round of the Copa del Rey with a 4-0 win over Extremadura on Wednesday.

Girona also recorded their first Champions League win on 22 October, beating Slovan Bratislava 2-0 on home soil, and have now won three of their last five games in all competitions.

Michel's side have three games in hand before the international break in November, travelling to PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League next week before taking on Getafe in La Liga in Madrid on 9 November.

Leganes, meanwhile, were also victorious in the Copa del Rey earlier this week, beating Cuidad de Lucena 2-1 to book their place in the second round, and the win followed a 3-0 win over Celta Vigo in the league last weekend.

Borja Jimenez's side have won two, drawn five and lost four of their 11 league games this season, picking up a total of 11 points to sit 14th in the table.

Leganes have been relatively solid at the back this season, conceding just 12 times, but they have struggled to find the back of the net, scoring just nine goals, the second-worst attacking record in the league.

El Lega are the reigning Segunda Division champions and are bidding to make it back-to-back seasons in Spain's top flight for the first time since 2020, so the stakes are high this term.

Leganes have not actually faced Girona in Spain's top flight since March 2019, with the last contest between these two sides bringing a 1-1 draw when they locked horns in the Segunda Division back in February 2022.

Recent Performance

Girona La Liga form:LDDWLL

Girona form (all competitions):WLWLWW

Leganes La Liga form:LDDDLW

Leganes form (all competitions):DDDLWW

Team News

Girona are currently suffering from a serious injury crisis, with Alejandro Frances, Abel Ruiz, Yaser Asprilla, Ivan Martin, Jhon Solis, Portu, Oriol Romeu, Jastin Garcia and Ricard Artero all ruled out.

Meanwhile, Pau Lopez and Viktor Tsygankov are major doubts, leaving head coach Michel with few options when it comes to making changes.

However, Bryan Gil returned from injury to score in the Copa del Rey last time out and is likely to start again in a wide position, while Bojan Miovski, who scored a brace in the cup, will also be in contention.

As for Leganes, Naim Garcia remains a doubt with a thigh problem, but otherwise the visitors are in excellent shape, with no fresh fitness concerns from the Copa del Rey.

Coach Jimenez made a number of changes to his side for the cup tie last time out, but the familiar faces will return, with the same XI that started against Celta in the league likely to feature.

Munir El Haddadi was one of the team's best performers against Ciudad de Lucena, but the former Barcelona youngster is expected to return to the bench for Saturday's La Liga clash.

Possible starting lineups

Girona possible starting lineup:

Gazzaniga; A Martinez, Lopez, Krejci, Gutierrez; Gil, Van de Beek, Silvi, Danjuma; Misehouy, Miovski

Leganes possible starting lineup:

Dmitrovic; Saenz, Nastasic, Tapia; Alti, Cisse, Neyou, Franquesa; Raba, Haller, D Garcia