Leganes will be aiming to make it three straight wins in all competitions when they continue their La Liga campaign with a trip to Girona on Saturday afternoon.
A total of 11 points from 11 matches has left Leganes in 14th spot in the La Liga table, while Girona are 13th, just one point ahead of their opponents this weekend, with the Catalan outfit having a testing campaign to date.
Match preview
© Imago
Girona had a historic 2023-24 season, finishing third in La Liga, which proved to be their best-ever spot in Spain's top flight, and it qualified them for the league phase of the Champions League.
It was always going to be difficult for Girona to match that this season, and their domestic form has suffered due to their involvement in the Champions League, with a total of 12 points from 11 games leaving them in 13th spot in the La Liga table.
The White and Reds were beaten 1-0 by Las Palmas in the league last weekend, but they managed to progress to the second round of the Copa del Rey on Wednesday courtesy of a 4-0 victory over Extremadura.
Girona also picked up their first Champions League win on October 22, beating Slovan Bratislava 2-0 on home soil, so a recent improvement has seen them triumph in three of their last five matches in all competitions.
Michel's side have three more matches before the November international break, travelling to PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League next week, before heading to Madrid to take on Getafe in La Liga on November 9.
© Imago
Leganes, meanwhile, were also victorious in the Copa del Rey earlier this week, beating Cuidad de Lucena 2-1 to secure their spot in the second round, and the win followed a 3-0 success over Celta Vigo in the league last weekend.
Borja Jimenez's side boast a record of two wins, five draws and four defeats from their 11 league matches this season, with a total of 11 points leaving them in 14th spot in the division.
Leganes have been relatively solid this season, only conceding 12 times, but finding the back of the net has been a problem, managing only nine goals, which is the joint-second worst attacking record in the division.
El Lega are the reigning Segunda Division champions, and they are bidding to make it successive seasons in Spain's top flight for the first time since 2020, so there is plenty on the line this term.
Leganes have not actually faced Girona in Spain's top flight since March 2019, with the last contest between these two sides bringing a 1-1 draw when they locked horns in the Segunda Division back in February 2022.
Team News
© Imago
Girona have huge injury problems at this moment in time, with Alejandro Frances, Abel Ruiz, Yaser Asprilla, Ivan Martin, Jhon Solis, Portu, Oriol Romeu, Jastin Garcia and Ricard Artero definitely out of the contest.
Meanwhile, Pau Lopez and Viktor Tsygankov are major doubts, with head coach Michel therefore not having many options when it comes to change.
Bryan Gil did make a goalscoring return from injury in the Copa del Rey last time out, though, and he should again feature in a wide position, while there will also be a spot for Bojan Miovski, who came up with a brace in the cup fixture.
As for Leganes, Naim Garcia remains a doubt due to a thigh problem, but the visitors are otherwise in excellent shape, having not reported any fresh fitness concerns from their Copa del Rey fixture.
Head coach Jimenez made a number of changes to his side for the cup game last time out, but the familiar faces will return here, with the same XI that started against Celta in the league potentially taking to the field.
Munir El Haddadi was one of the team's best performers against Ciudad de Lucena, but the former Barcelona youngster is expected to find himself back on the bench for Saturday's La Liga affair.
Girona possible starting lineup:
Gazzaniga; A Martinez, Lopez, Krejci, Gutierrez; Gil, Van de Beek, Silvi, Danjuma; Misehouy, Miovski
Leganes possible starting lineup:
Dmitrovic; Saenz, Nastasic, Tapia; Alti, Cisse, Neyou, Franquesa; Raba, Haller, D Garcia
We say: Girona 1-1 Leganes
Girona have a severe injury crisis at the moment, and with Leganes entering this match in good form and with a strong squad available, we are backing the visitors to secure a share of the spoils on Saturday afternoon.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
