Girona will look to preserve their unbeaten start to the season when they travel to Villareal on Wednesday. Villarreal began the midweek fixture in 12th place after collecting seven points from their first six league games. Girona now holds the second spot.
Preview (Villarreal vs. Girona)
After Quique Setien was fired prior to the international break after three losses in four games, Villarreal had an interesting start to the new season that included a manager change. The new coach won his first match by a score of 2-1 over Almeria. The honeymoon phase, however, was short-lived as Villarreal lost to Panathinaikos 2-0 in the Europa League and then managed only a disappointing 1-1 draw against Rayo Vallecano on Sunday as Gerard Moreno’s opening goal in the 15th minute was quickly canceled out by Kike Perez.
The Yellow Submarine will need to strengthen defensively if they are to stop a free-scoring Girona team after giving up 11 goals in their first six league games. Girona has done admirably in the early going of the season. Villarreal has fared better in their most recent matches, winning five straight games in all competitions. Girona has improved significantly in the first six games of the current season. They finished ninth in their first season back in the top division. After drawing with Real Sociedad in their league debut, they have won five straight games.
Girona has not only been among the best teams this season in terms of performance. They have also been among the most exciting teams. They have scored 16 goals overall, including nine in their previous two games. At home against Mallorca on Saturday, David Lopez, Artem Dovbyk, Ivan Martin, Yangel Herrera, and Savio all scored goals as Michel’s team displayed their offensive prowess to win 5-3. For the first time since 2019, they will strive to win three straight-away games in the top division.
Team News
Francis Coquelin is still out for a while, and injuries prevent Jorge Cuenca and Denis Suarez from playing. Spain internationals Alex Baena and Gerard Moreno were ejected from Sunday’s draw with Rayo. Pacheta also has concerns about two other crucial players. Alfonso Pedraza served a suspension but is now available after receiving a red card over the weekend. He will take Alberto Moreno’s position. Borja Garcia and Toni Villa are absent for Girona. There are questions regarding the availability of defender Bernardo Espinosa.
Brazilian winger Savio, who has scored in Girona’s previous two games, will continue to be a threat from the left flank, while Ukrainian international Viktor Tsygankov will play on the other side. We believe Villarreal may find it difficult to compete against a Girona team that is in excellent form since they haven’t been performing up to their typical high standards in the early going. The visitors have established themselves as an unstoppable force through the first six games, and we anticipate that they will once again use their attacking prowess to win on Wednesday.
Villareal 1 – 2 Girona
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