La Liga: Barcelona Can Extend Their Streak in the Catalan Derby

Girona vs Barcelona

Barcelona are the only team with a flawless record after the first four league games of the 2024-25 campaign, and they plan to keep it that way to stay on top of the La Liga standings.

After a short international break, the Blaugrana will make the drive to the Estadi Montilivi, as they’ll take on Girona on Sunday for the latest edition of the Catalan derby.

Girona were one of the biggest surprises in Europe last season with their third-place finish. They started this season off the mark with one draw and one loss, but Girona bounced back with two consecutive victories and are keen to extend their unbeaten run to three straight games.

This promises to be an exciting matchup, so SBOTOP football fans should tune in and read our latest preview.

 

Girona may have discovered new gems

Girona will find it difficult to replicate, let alone outdo themselves this year, as they underwent major changes this summer.

The team suffered big losses, as their top scorer Artem Dovbyk departed for AS Roma. Aleix Garcia also transferred to Bayer Leverkusen, while Savinho returned to Manchester City following his loan stint.

In return, Girona added Gabriel Misehouy, Abel Ruiz, Donny van de Beek, Bryan Gil, Oriol Romeu, and Arnaut Danjuma, among others, and only time will tell if these moves will pan out.

Michel may be on to something, since his two newest additions have already opened their accounts this term.

Gabriel Misehouy scored his first goal for Girona in their 1-1 draw against Real Betis. Abel Ruiz, meanwhile, is leading the team in scoring after netting against Osasuna and Sevilla.

Girona will likely maintain their starting XI against Sevilla last time out, except for Yangel Herrera and Oriol Romeu.

Herrera sustained an adductor injury before the international break, so he was unable to play for Venezuela in the World Cup 2026 qualifiers, while Romeu is unavailable to play against his mother club.

Donny van de Beek and Jhon Solis could take their places in midfield alongside Ivan Martin, while David Lopez, Daley Blind, Alejandro Frances, and Miguel Gutierrez are right behind them.

 

Lewandowski enjoying Barelona reunion with Flick

Robert Lewandowski will be making his 100^th appearance for Barcelona on Sunday, marking a significant moment in his career.

Barcelona signed him on a three-year contract in 2022, and he has been as good as advertised because he is one of the team’s most consistent goal scorers in recent years.

And this season, the Polish international is looking better than ever under head coach Hansi Flick. Lewandowski and Flick enjoyed much success together at Bayern Munich, so much so that the former almost won a Ballon d’Or.

Robert Lewandowski is already a frontrunner for this year’s Golden Boot race because he has notched four goals. Right behind him is his attacking partner Raphinha, who has three goals under his belt.

Barcelona still have injuries to deal with, as Ronald Araujo, Andreas Christensen, Frenkie de Jong, Marc Bernal, Fermin Lopez, and Gavi are in the medical room, but they should be fine against Girona with Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha leading the way.

 

History

Girona swept Barcelona in their two La Liga matchups last season. They became only the fourth team in La Liga history to complete a league double over the Blaugrana while scoring at least four goals each game after Real Madrid (1929-30), Valencia (1941-42), and UD Salamanca (1997-98).

Last year marked the first time Barcelona have lost their last two Catalan derbies in La Liga since January 1967.

However, Barcelona have won three of their four away games against Girona (L1). Only Villarreal (W4) have managed to record more away wins against Girona in the Spanish top-flight.

Girona are on a two-game winning streak while keeping a clean sheet. If they achieve the same result against Barcelona, it’ll mark the second time in their Spanish top-flight history that they’ll do it in three straight games since March 2018 under Pablo Machin.

 

Betting Tip

The La Liga 2024 odds expect Hansi Flick’s squad to win this weekend based on their current form. Barcelona are 1.87 favourites, whereas Girona are at 3.47, and a draw is at 3.59 in the 1X2 market.

Barcelona should be able to break out of their slump against Girona because they’re playing well under their new manager.

Moreover, fans can expect these two teams to create new La Liga 2024 highlights, making alternatives like Over 3.00 at 1.85 and Total Goals 4-6 at 2.57 viable.

   

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