Girona host Barcelona in a Catalan derby on Sunday afternoon as Hansi Flick’s side look to extend their winning start to the 2024/25 season.
After a mixed pre-season, Barcelona have hit their stride at the beginning of the new campaign. A trio of tight 2-1 victories were followed by a 7-0 demolition of newly-promoted Real Valladolid – one of Barca‘s most convincing performances in quite some time.
Facing Catalan rivals Girona promises to be a test of their title credentials, especially considering they may have one eye on the start of the Champions League campaign. Barcelona journey to Monaco on Wednesday evening having been thumped by the Ligue 1 outfit in pre-season.
Girona, who have won their last two outings in La Liga, may also be daydreaming of their first ever Champions League clash on Wednesday night. Last season’s surprise package face a tantalising trip to the French capital to face Paris Saint-Germain.
Here is 90min’s guide to Sunday’s derby.
Girona vs Barcelona H2H Record (Last Five Games)
Current form (all competitions)
How to watch Girona vs Barcelona on TV and live stream
Girona team news
Girona are fortunate to be heading into the derby with a relatively clean bill of health, although midfielder Yangel Herrera is a doubt for the clash after he missed the international break with Venezuela due to a leg injury.
With or without Herrera, Oriol Romeu is set to line up in midfield against the side he represented last season, while former Manchester United men Daley Blind and Donny van de Beek may also start.
Former Everton forward Arnaut Danjuma is unlikely to replace summer recruit and former Barcelona striker Abel Ruiz in the number nine slot, with the latter having scored twice already this term.
Girona predicted lineup vs Barcelona (4-3-3): Gazzaniga; Frances, Lopez, Blind, Gutierrez; Solis, Romeu, Martin; Tsygankov, Ruiz, Gil.
Barcelona team news
The positive news for Barcelona is that young midfielder Gavi has returned to training following a long-term injury that has sidelined him since last November. He’s unlikely to feature until October but he’s making important steps in his recovery.
Elsewhere, the injury news isn’t so positive for Flick. Andreas Christensen and Ronald Araujo are still missing from his defence, while his midfield will be without Marc Bernal, Frenkie de Jong and Fermin Lopez – the latter injuring his hamstring in early September.
Dani Olmo has adjusted swiftly to life in a Barca shirt and will be desperate to feature in the derby on Sunday, with doubts over his fitness following a knee injury sustained with Spain.
Barcelona predicted lineup vs Girona (4-2-3-1): Ter Stegen; Kounde, Cubarsi, Martinez, Balde; Casado, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha; Lewandowski.
Girona vs Barcelona score prediction
Barcelona’s invincibility will be put to the test this weekend by a Girona side that appear to have found their feet after a slow start to the campaign. Under Xavi, Barca lost both clashes with their Catalan rivals 4-2 last season, highlighting the difficulty of Sunday’s challenge.
However, Barca enter the match in impressive form, finding victory in difficult encounters when they’re not at their best. That’s a skill they may need to lean on at Estadi Montilivi, relying on their attacking talent to fire them over the line.
They have already won three of their La Liga matches 2-1 this term. Why not another one?
