Barcelona vs Girona
Barcelona will play their second La Liga match in three days, as they will host Girona at the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium this Sunday. Hansi Flick’s side is three points clear at the top of the Spanish top-flight standings following their 3-0 victory over Osasuna last night. Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid are behind them at 60 and 56 points.
The Blaugrana plan to extend their winning streak to nine games to increase their lead at the top of the standings and beating Girona will help them do that. They must settle their business since Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid have winnable games against Leganes and Espanyol.
Girona have been a disappointment this season, considering their historic finish last year. Michel’s men are winless in their last six league matches, dropping them to 13th with 34 points.
Learn more about these two teams by reading our SBOTOP preview below.
Talking Points
Kounde has a point about Barcelona
Jules Kounde has criticised La Liga for forcing Barcelona to play Osasuna last night, calling it a “lack of respect” for the players. The game was postponed on March 8 following the sudden passing of team doctor Carles Minarro Garcia. However, the league committee ignored requests from Barcelona and Osasuna to move the match to a later date.
Fortunately for Barcelona, they didn’t look fatigued against Osasuna, as they got off to a spectacular start. Ferran Torres and Dani Olmo made it 2-0 within the first 21 minutes, and Robert Lewandowski added another goal in the 77th minute. Osasuna had no chance against the Spanish top-flight frontrunners.
Despite the victory, Barcelona are concerned about their grueling schedule because they’re also deep into the Champions League. It’s easy to feel for Kounde since he has played every match for club and country since November 2023, playing as a centre-back or right-back. The Frenchman also played 120 minutes for Les Bleus last Sunday in the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals against Croatia. Blaugrana fans can only hope the team doesn’t get new injuries throughout the rest of the 2024-25 campaign.
Stuani is keeping Girona afloat
Girona are playing below par because they lost key players in the transfer market last summer, such as Aleix Garcia and Artem Dovbyk. However, their one constant is their captain, Cristhian Stuani, their leading scorer with six league goals and two assists.
Stuani, 38, has found the back of the net in their last two matches. When Girona were down against Espanyol and Valencia, Stuani would score a timely goal, just enough to salvage a point from those two matches.
Besides Stuani, Michel needs his other weapons to fire, such as Yangel Herrera, Abel Ruiz, and Bryan Gil, who have combined for 11 league goals and six assists this season. Miguel Gutierrez and Viktor Tsygankov are the team’s top playmakers with five and four assists.
Meanwhile, veteran goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga has been one of Girona’s best players this season. The Argentine international is joint third in the Golden Glove race alongside Sevilla’s Orjan Nyland and Leganes’ Marko Dmitrovic with seven clean sheets.
History
Barcelona and Girona have already faced off earlier this season. Hansi Flick’s side won 4-1 at the Montilivi, as Lamine Yamal (brace), Dani Olmo, and Pedri found the back of the net while Ferran Torres was sent off in the 86th minute. Cristhian Stuani scored the consolation goal for the hosts in the 80th minute.
Girona became the fourth team to complete a league double over Barcelona last season while scoring at least four goals in each of them, joining Real Madrid in 1929-30, Valencia in 1941-42, and UD Salamanca in 1997-98. However, Barcelona may do the opposite this time, especially after what happened in the reverse fixture.
Betting Tip
The La Liga 2025 odds expect Barcelona to breeze past Girona this Sunday. The Blaugrana are 1.25 favourites to win, while Girona are huge 7.70 underdogs, and a draw is at 5.70 in the 1X2 market. If Barcelona somehow share the spoils with Girona, it’s already considered a win for the visitors.
Barcelona are regulars in the La Liga 2025 highlights reel, and we expect more from them this weekend. Besides our recommended bet, bettors can also go for options like Over 3.25 at 1.68, Over 3.50 at 1.89, Over 3.75 at 2.11, and Total Goals 4-6 at 2.14. Furthermore, a Correct Score of 4-1 in favour of the hosts – the result of their previous league encounter – is pegged at 14.00 your bet.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (
) BETS ARE WORTH:
= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
= €10 (CONFIDENT)
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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