Matchday 18 of La Liga sees Girona take on Valladolid on December 20 at the Montilivi Stadium. Girona vs. Valladolid: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Predicted lineups for Girona vs. Valladolid
Girona (4-2-3-1): Paulo Gazzaniga – Miguel Gutierrez, Daley Blind, David Lopez, Arnau Martinez – Oriol Romeu, Juanpe – Donny van de Beek, Bryan Gil, Yaser Asprilla – Arnaut Danjuma.
Valladolid (4-3-3): Karl Hein – Javi Sanchez, Luis Perez, Abdulai Djuma Bah, Lucas Rosa – Anuar Tuhami, Kike Perez, Stanko Juric – Marcos Andre, Raul Moro, Ivan Sanchez.
Each team's starting lineup from their previous match in this tournament is listed.
Girona
The Catalans are winless in three consecutive La Liga matches. They drew away against Villarreal (2-2) and then suffered two defeats. At home, they were thrashed by Real Madrid (0-3), followed by a 1-2 away loss to Mallorca, despite playing with a numerical advantage for over an hour. Michel Sanchez's side has dropped to mid-table and is now four points behind the European competition spots.
Midfielder Oriol Romeu will miss the game due to suspension.
- At least three goals have been scored in 7 of Girona's last 9 home league matches.
- In their last seven home La Liga games, the Catalans have only won the first half once (3 draws and 3 losses).
- No more than one goal has been scored in the second half in 8 of the club's last 11 league matches.
Valladolid
Valladolid finally secured a league victory, defeating Valencia 1-0 at home. Before this, they had gone six La Liga matches without a win (1 draw and 5 losses). This was only their third victory in the current La Liga campaign. The club remains in the relegation zone but has reduced the gap to the safe 17th spot to four points.
Midfielder Kike Perez will not play due to suspension.
- The number "1" has appeared in the final score in 8 of Valladolid's last 11 league matches.
- No more than three goals have been scored in 6 of the team's last 7 La Liga fixtures.
- Valladolid has conceded at least two goals in 7 of their last 8 away league matches.
Girona vs. Valladolid: Match Prediction
The Catalans have struggled against higher-ranked opponents this season, with only two wins in nine encounters. However, they have performed much better against teams from the lower half of the table. At home, Girona has achieved emphatic or high-scoring victories in the current league campaign against Osasuna (4-0), Leganes (4-3), and Espanyol (4-1). They also defeated Athletic 2-1.
I am confident that Michel Sanchez's side will have no trouble against one of the league's strugglers in the upcoming match. In addition to a victory, I expect Girona to score at least two goals. Furthermore, the Catalans have shown this level of scoring in 14 of their last 20 home La Liga games. Meanwhile, Valladolid has the worst defense in the league this season, conceding an average of two goals per game, and 2.75 goals on the road. In the current campaign, Valladolid has conceded fewer than two goals in only one away match.
My prediction: Girona individual total over 1.5 goals