The Yellow Submarine sit fourth in the La Liga table, with 25 points from their opening 13 matches of the campaign, while Girona – who have won their last three in the league – are up to seventh.
Match preview
Villarreal have managed a record of seven wins, four draws and two defeats from 13 La Liga matches this season that has left them fourth in the table, four points behind third-placed Atletico Madrid with a game in hand.
The Yellow Submarine have been a brilliant watch in La Liga this term, scoring 25 times and conceding 21, but they will surely have to tighten up defensively in order to secure a top-four finish in the division.
Marcelino’s side drew 2-2 with Osasuna last time out – two goals down in Pamplona, Alex Baena halved the deficit with 67 minutes on the clock before a 93rd minute penalty from Gerard Moreno secured a share of the spoils.
Villarreal head into the match unbeaten in the last five games in all competitions, though the run includes a 3-0 win over Alaves last time out at the Estadio de la Ceramica; they also thrashed Pobense 6-1 in the Copa del Rey at the end of last month.
The Yellow Submarine have actually been better on their travels this term than at home, with 14 of their 25 points coming away, but Girona have gathered just eight points from their seven league games on the road during the 2024-25 campaign.
This was always going to be a testing season for Girona considering their incredible success last term, finishing third in La Liga to secure a spot in the league phase of the Champions League.
The 2023-24 season was the best ever, and there has been a drop-off this term, with the Catalan outfit struggling to adapt to playing twice a week, and they have lost four of their five Champions League games, which has left them down in 30th spot in the table ahead of their next European clash with Liverpool.
Michel’s side have beaten Leganes, Getafe and Espanyol in their last three in the league, however, which has propelled them into seventh position in the table.
The White and Reds are only four points behind fourth-placed Villarreal, albeit having played a game more, and they recorded a 2-1 victory over the Yellow Submarine in the corresponding match during the 2023-24 campaign.
That said, Villarreal have won four of the last five meetings in Spain’s top flight, and the hosts will be the fresher of the two sides, with Girona in Champions League action on Wednesday, suffering a 1-0 defeat to Sturm Graz in Austria.
Villarreal La Liga form:
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Villarreal form (all competitions):
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Girona La Liga form:
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Girona form (all competitions):
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Team News
Villarreal are without a number of first-team players through injury, with Ramon Terrats, Eric Bailly, Ayoze Perez, Ilias Akhomach, Nicolas Pepe, Juan Foyth and Alfonso Pedraza all out of contention for the clash.
Gerard Moreno replaced Terrats at the interval of the clash with Osasuna, and the former is now expected to come into the XI in potentially the only change from the last match.
Denis Suarez and Juan Bernat are options for change, but Sergi Cardona should again get the nod at left-back, with Yeremy Pino expected to retain his spot down the right.
As for Girona, their injury list has eased significantly, with Yangel Herrera, Gabriel Misehouy and Portu the only three players definitely out of this contest for the visitors.
Head coach Michel will make changes to the side that started against Sturm Graz in the Champions League, with Yaser Asprilla in line to return, while Donny van de Beek should also be back in the XI.
Bojan Miovski scored a brace against Espanyol in the league last weekend, and the 25-year-old will once again lead the line, with Arnaut Danjuma and Viktor Tsygankov potentially starting on the bench.
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
We say: Villarreal 1-1 Girona
Villarreal remain without several key players, including their leading goalscorer Perez and will host an improving outfit this weekend. Girona have their issues this term but recent league form is excellent, and we are expecting the visitors to be good enough for a point on Sunday afternoon.
