Girona's battle to secure second position in the La Liga table will continue on Tuesday evening, when they welcome European-chasing Villarreal to Estadi Montilivi.
The home side are currently second, two points clear of third-placed Barcelona, while Villarreal occupy eighth position, four points from seventh-placed Real Betis.
Match preview
© Reuters
Girona have had a remarkable campaign, boasting a record of 23 wins, six draws and six defeats from their 35 league matches to collect 75 points, which has left them second in the table.
Michel's side are two points ahead of third-placed Barcelona, although the picture could have changed before Girona take to the field for the first whistle on Tuesday, as Xavi's side will play on Monday evening against Real Sociedad.
The White and Reds secured qualification for the 2024-25 Champions League courtesy of their 4-2 home success over Barcelona on May 4, but they were held to a 2-2 draw by Alaves on Saturday.
Girona were leading Alaves 2-1 until the 99th minute of Saturday's clash, when Jon Guridi levelled the scores, but Michel's team still managed to stretch their unbeaten run to four matches, picking up 10 points from the 12 available since a 3-1 reverse at Atletico Madrid.
Gironistes are only in their fourth-ever campaign at this level, so it has been a historic season for the club, and they will now be bidding to beat Barcelona to second position before preparing for what will be as testing 2024-25 campaign after their success this term.
© Reuters
Villarreal, meanwhile, will enter this match off the back of a 3-2 home success over Sevilla on Saturday.
The score was level at 2-2 until the 97th minute of the contest, when Alexander Sorloth came up with the winner for Villarreal, who remain in the hunt for a European finish in Spain's top flight.
Marcelino's side are eighth in the division, four points behind seventh-placed Real Betis, who are currently qualifying for the Conference League playoff round.
Villarreal struggled for results in the first half of the season, but their form since the turn of the year has been excellent, and they can also still mathematically qualify for the 2024-25 Europa League.
The Yellow Submarine, who finished fifth in La Liga last season, have won three of their last four league matches, and they have also managed to pick up 23 points from their 17 away league games this term.
Villarreal have won three of their last four league matches against Girona, but they suffered a 2-1 defeat when the two teams locked horns for the reverse fixture earlier this season.
Team News
© Reuters
Girona will again be without the services of four first-team players on Tuesday evening, with Borja Garcia, Cristhian Stuani, Ricard Artero and Joel Roca unavailable for selection.
The Catalan outfit did not pick up any fresh issues against Alaves, but there could be a couple of changes to the starting side, with Yan Couto and Aleix Garcia in line for recalls.
Ivan Martin is set to move into the number 10 position, with Portu potentially dropping down to the bench, while Artem Dovbyk, who has scored 20 league goals this season, will lead the line.
As for Villarreal, Santi Comesana will return to the squad, with the midfielder missing out against Sevilla on Saturday due to a one-game suspension.
However, Alberto Moreno, Alfonso Pedraza, Gerard Moreno, Juan Foyth, Denis Suarez and Yeremy Pino are again expected to miss out for the Yellow Submarine through injury.
Sorloth netted a brace on Saturday to take him onto 19 league goals for the campaign, and he is again expected to be joined in the final third of the field by Goncalo Guedes.
Girona possible starting lineup:
Gazzaniga; A Martinez, E Garcia, Blind, Gutierrez; Herrera, A Garcia; Couto, Martin, Savio; Dovbyk
Villarreal possible starting lineup:
Jorgensen; Femenia, Bailly, Mosquera, Cuenca; Akhomach, Comesana, Parejo, Baena; Guedes, Sorloth
We say: Girona 1-1 Villarreal
This is a really tricky match to call, as Girona have the third-best home record in La Liga this season, but Villarreal have been solid on their travels and are in strong form. We can see the points being shared on Tuesday evening, with Villarreal good enough to avoid defeat against Michel's side.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
