A huge clash with consequences at both ends of the La Liga table is brewing as Girona fight to climb out of the relegation zone while Real Madrid look to protect their narrow lead at the top. Despite enduring their toughest 13-game start to a top-flight season, Girona’s spirited 1-1 draw at Real Betis hinted that there’s still plenty of belief in Míchel’s side.
They’ve dropped nine more points than at this stage of their last relegation campaign, but recent form hasn’t been all doom; they’ve lost just once in four league outings (W1, D2), and their once-leaky defence seems to be tightening up at last.
Real Madrid enter the weekend sitting top by a single point, though their momentum has been slowed by consecutive away draws.
In preparation for the encounter Real Madrid uploaded a video of the team in the gym via their official X account.
Watch the video:
Xabi Alonso’s men did rebuild confidence with a chaotic but morale-boosting 4-3 win over Olympiacos in the Champions League, and they’re currently on pace for their joint-best La Liga points tally at this stage since 2016/17. Still, their recent away form is a concern, with all seven of their dropped points coming in their last four road games (W1, D2, L1).
History hasn’t been kind to Girona in this matchup either. They’re on their longest scoreless losing run against any top-flight opponent, four straight defeats to Madrid without scoring. And Los Blancos love this ground too, scoring 13 times in their last five visits.
Team News
Girona have disciplinary issues to worry about, having already collected a league-high five red cards this season. They’ve also been shaky at protecting leads, drawing three of the five matches in which they opened the scoring. Daley Blind and Portu are doubts, which doesn’t help their defensive stability.
For Madrid, the trend is the opposite; they’ve won every single league game in which they scored first (W9). However, their defence tends to slip after the break, conceding seven of their nine away goals in second halves.
They remain without long-term absentees Éder Militão and Thibaut Courtois, while Dean Huijsen is also a possible absentee, however Head coach Xabi Alonso updated Madrid fans earlier today, as revealed by Softfootball, that Mastantuono, Rüdiger and Militão have returned to full training, which is a huge boost for the Madrid-based club.
Possible Lineups
Girona (4-3-3):
Gazzaniga; Rincon, Martinez, Reis, Moreno; Martin, Witsel; Tsygankov, Ounahi, Gil; Vanat
Real Madrid (4-3-3):
Courtois; Alexander-Arnold, Militao, Tchouameni, Carreras; Guler, Camavinga, Valverde; Bellingham; Mbappe, Vinicius
Softfootball’s Prediction
Madrid’s quality in attack, especially with Mbappé in terrifying form after scoring all four in midweek, probably gives them the edge here, even if their away inconsistency makes this trickier than it should be. Girona’s improved defending and strong home form might keep things tight for a while, but it’s hard to ignore the gap in firepower.
Prediction: Girona 1–3 Real Madrid
