La Liga outfit Osasuna travel to Segunda Division side Girona on Thursday, when these two teams will fight for a place in the last 16 of the Copa del Rey.
The home team are currently on a six-game unbeaten run in all competitions, and will look to use that form to beat a side that have lost their last two consecutive matches.
Match preview
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Girona's recent form in the second tier has helped them climb into a playoff spot and Michel has managed to turn his side's form around since the beginning of this campaign.
Thursday's hosts only won two games from their opening 10 matches this season, but just two defeats in their last 14 fixtures across all competitions has seen their fortunes lifted.
Michel's side secured a 1-0 win last time out against SD Huesca, who did create many chances on Girona's goal, but the visitors held out for a clean sheet and three points.
That result mimicked the 1-0 win which Girona secured against the same opponent last month in the previous round of this competition, that time thanks to a 22nd-minute strike from Jordi Calavera.
Despite the top-flight opposition visiting the Estadi Municipal de Montilivi this week, Girona are expected to demonstrate some of their attacking prowess that has helped them on home soil in the league this season, having netted 18 times in 11 home games.
Osasuna, though, have been better away from home than they have been on their own patch this campaign, collecting six more points on their travels in one less game.
Jagoba Arrasate's side currently sit 14th in La Liga, six points clear of the relegation zone, but they will have to be careful not to be dragged into a fight for survival by improving on their recent results.
Last time out, Osasuna fell to a 3-1 defeat against Athletic Bilbao despite the hosts taking a 1-0 lead in that game, Bilbao's Oihan Sancet turned the game around by netting a hat-trick.
Osasuna needed to come from behind themselves in the last round of the Copa del Rey in December, when they faced Deportivo La Coruna and progressed with a 2-1 win courtesy of goals from Kike and Ante Budimir.
The visitors enter this game as favourites to reach the last 16 of this competition, given their higher league status, but Girona are the side in better form, which makes for an entertaining encounter between these teams.
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Team News
Dario Sarmiento, Oscar Urena, Pablo Moreno and Ramon Terrats are all pencilled in to make their returns from injury this month, but Girona are not expected to name any of the four in their starting 11 on Thursday.
Goalkeeper Adrian Ortola was one of the heroes in the last round of this competition as he saved a penalty with his side only one goal to the good, and he will remain between the posts for Girona.
The home team will line up with a back three, which is likely to include Juanpe, Bernardo and Santiago Bueno as an unchanged defensive trio from their last outing in the Segunda Division.
Osasuna midfielder Darko Brasanac will miss out on Thursday after testing positive for coronavirus, while right-back Jesus Areso continues to be sidelined due to an injury he sustained in early December.
Striker Ezequiel Avila received two yellow cards in a matter of minutes at the end of Osasuna's encounter with Athletic Bilbao, but he will be available for selection as he serves his suspension in their next La Liga match.
Avila's red card is unlikely to change Arrasate's thinking when deciding on his starting 11, as Kike and Budimir are expected to continue to lead the line as a pair anyhow.
Girona possible starting lineup:
Ortola; Juanpe, Bernardo, Bueno; Jairo, Kebe, Lozano, Calavera; Arteto, Bustos, Fernandez
Osasuna possible starting lineup:
Herrera; Angel, Garcia, Oier, Ramalho; Ontiveros, Perez, Martinez, Torres; Kike, Budimir
We say: Girona 2-1 Osasuna
An upset may be on the cards in this encounter in the Copa del Rey as second tier Girona enter this clash with more confidence than Osasuna given their recent results.
Girona will look to use their good home form, unbeaten in their last five matches on their own patch, and beat their La Liga opposition, also using confidence from scoring at least two goals in each of their last four home matches.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Girona win with a probability of 45.05%. A win for Osasuna had a probability of 27.85% and a draw had a probability of 27.1%.
The most likely scoreline for a Girona win was 1-0 with a probability of 12.48%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.81%) and 2-0 (8.61%). The likeliest Osasuna win was 0-1 (9.26%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.77%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with a 12.5% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 1-0 win for Girona in this match and our team at Sports Mole correctly predicted the win for Girona.
