Girona will host Barcelona in a highly anticipated Catalan derby on Sunday as Hansi Flick’s side aims to continue their winning streak in the 2024/25 season. After a mixed pre-season, Barcelona has found their rhythm at the start of the new campaign. They secured three narrow 2-1 victories before delivering an impressive 7-0 thrashing of newly-promoted Real Valladolid, showcasing one of their most convincing performances in recent times.
The upcoming match against Girona will test Barcelona’s title credentials, especially considering they have one eye on the start of their Champions League campaign. In pre-season, they suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of Ligue 1 outfit Monaco, making this clash with Girona even more crucial.
Girona, on the other hand, has won their last two La Liga matches and is also looking forward to their first-ever Champions League encounter against Paris Saint-Germain. Last season’s surprise package faces an exciting trip to the French capital.
Both teams are heading into this derby with relatively clean bills of health. However, Girona midfielder Yangel Herrera is doubtful for the match due to a leg injury that kept him out during the international break with Venezuela.
Former Barcelona player Oriol Romeu is expected to feature for Girona in midfield alongside former Manchester United players Daley Blind and Donny van de Beek. Meanwhile, summer recruit Abel Ruiz is likely to retain his position as striker over Arnaut Danjuma.
Barcelona received positive news as young midfielder Gavi returned to training after a long-term injury that sidelined him since November last year. Although he may not play until October, his recovery progress is significant for the team.
However, there are some injury concerns for Barcelona manager Hansi Flick. Defenders Andreas Christensen and Ronald Araujo remain unavailable while midfielders Marc Bernal, Frenkie de Jong, and Fermin Lopez are also sidelined due to injuries.
Dani Olmo has quickly adapted to life at Barcelona but may be doubtful for Sunday’s derby due to a knee injury sustained while playing for Spain.
Barcelona’s predicted lineup includes Ter Stegen in goal; Kounde,
Cubarsi,
Martinez,
and Balde forming the defense; Casado
and Pedri controlling midfield; Yamal,
Olmo,
and Raphinha supporting attack; and Lewandowski leading as striker.
This weekend will put Barcelona’s invincibility under scrutiny against a resurgent Girona side that struggled initially but seems to have found its footing lately. Last season under Xavi’s management,
Barca lost both matches against their Catalan rivals by four goals each time.
This highlights how challenging Sunday’s game could be for them.
However,
Barcelona has shown resilience by securing victories even when not performing at their best.
They will rely on their attacking talent
to overcome any obstacles they face at Estadi Montilivi.
So far this season,
they have already won three La Liga matches by a scoreline of 2-1.
Perhaps another victory awaits them?
