Girona vs Slovan Bratislava: Champions League Match Preview

Girona and Slovan Bratislava go head-to-head at Estadi Montilivi on Tuesday evening, each seeking their first points of this season’s Champions League group stage. Slovan Bratislava sits second-bottom in the league-phase table, with Girona also having lost twice, mainly due to some costly own goals and fine misses.

Match Preview:

The Champions League debut for Girona has, so far, been really the opposite of what they expected. They were denied even a point when Paulo Gazzaniga scored in his own net against Paris Saint-Germain and later collapsed to a 3-2 home defeat in a crazy game against Feyenoord, where both Yangel Herrera and Ladislav Krejci scored in their own net for Girona. Simultaneously, Gazzaniga saved a penalty, while at the other end, Bojan Miovski missed one, further complicating things. This has made Girona their own worst enemies, scoring a record three own goals in just two matches, the joint-most ever in a single Champions League season.

Now, with a trip into Bavaria, Michel’s team risks becoming the first Spanish club to lose their opening three Champions League games. Domestically, it isn’t much different either: Thirteenth in La Liga – with just a dozen points from ten games – and following a defeat to Real Sociedad at the weekend, Girona have managed just one victory in their last eight games in all competitions.

Meanwhile, Slovan Bratislava comes into the match without a victory in six matches against Spanish opposition. Its only triumph in European competition against a Spanish side came in 1969 when it defeated Barcelona in the final of the Cup Winners’ Cup. So far, it has started this season’s Champions League poorly, losing 5-1 to Celtic and 4-0 to Manchester City.

Manager Vladimir Weiss has seen his side concede 16 goals in their last five UEFA matches, scoring just three. They face a steep test, as they’ve taken 33 fewer shots than their opponents in their opening two games, the worst shot differential in the competition. Besides, Slovan has been poor when in possession, as it has the second-lowest possession average at just 31%. Their attack, too, has been tepid, with Austrian defender Kevin Wimmer being one of only two players to register a shot on target.

This season in the Slovak First League, Slovan are strong. They recently defeated Spartak Trnava 1-0 to stay atop the table, but despite just three defeats in 22 games this term, their defense has proved leaky in big matches, often letting in four or more goals.

Team News:

Girona are facing a number of injuries to key players including Viktor Tsygankov, Daley Blind, Oriol Romeu and Yaser Asprilla. They do expect summer signing Abel Ruiz back in action, though. Bojan Miovski will most probably lead the attack, supported by Donny van de Beek and Arnaut Danjuma, with David Lopez anchoring the back.

Slovan Bratislava will be without star playmaker Juraj Kucka, who is not ready to play after knee surgery. Croatian midfielder Marko Tolic is expected to fill the creative void behind striker David Strelec, with support from Vladimir Weiss Jr. Georgia’s Guram Kashia will be partnered at the heart of Slovan’s defense by ex-Tottenham defender Kevin Wimmer.

Predicted Lineups:

Girona Starting XI: Gazzaniga; A. Martinez, D. Lopez, Krejci, Gutierrez; Martin, Herrera, Solis; Van de Beek, Danjuma; Ruiz.

Slovan Bratislava Starting XI: Takac; Blackman, Kashia, Wimmer, Sharani; Bajric, Savvidis; Barseghyan, Tolic, Weiss Jr; Strelec.

Today’s match will be an intense encounter, as both sides look forward to earning their first points in this Champions League campaign.