Croatia
Indonesia
Nigeria
South Africa

Preview: Girona vs. Las Palmas - prediction, team news, lineups

sportsmole.co.uk, 1 September 2023, 13:49
Girona will be bidding to continue their impressive start to the 2023-24 La Liga campaign when they host Las Palmas on Sunday afternoon.

The home side have picked up seven points from their opening three matches of the season to sit third in the table, while Las Palmas are 16th, boasting two points from their first three games.

Match preview

Girona claimed 10th in La Liga last season, which proved to be their joint-best finish in Spain's top flight, and the Catalan outfit have also made a very encouraging start to the 2023-24 campaign.

Indeed, Michel's side opened their season with a 1-1 draw against Real Sociedad on August 12 before recording a 3-0 victory over Getafe on home soil eight days later.

Girona also collected three points last time out, winning 2-1 at Sevilla, with Aleix Garcia's goal in the 56th minute proving to be the difference between the two sides at Estadio Ramon.

A total of seven points from three matches has left the White and Reds in third spot in the table, two points behind the leaders Real Madrid, and they will now be bidding to enter the international break off the back of another positive result.

Girona won both La Liga meetings between these two teams during the 2017-18 campaign, while they are unbeaten against Las Palmas in all competitions since April 2015.

Las Palmas, meanwhile, will enter this match off the back of a goalless draw with Real Sociedad last Friday.

Garcia Pimienta's side are yet to get off the mark in terms of wins this season, drawing their opener against Mallorca on August 12 before suffering a 1-0 loss at Valencia in the second match of the campaign.

Not too much attention can be paid to the league table at this stage, but Las Palmas are 16th in the division on two points, and they will be determined to secure their first three points of the season as soon as possible.

Las Palmas secured a return to Spain's top flight by finishing second in the Segunda Division last season, with La Union Deportiva back in La Liga for the first time since the 2017-18 campaign.

The Canary Islanders spent five straight seasons in the Segunda Division before securing a return, and they will be determined to consolidate at this level once again.

Girona La Liga form:

Las Palmas La Liga form:

Advert - content below:

Team News

Girona have a fairly lengthy injury list at this stage of the campaign, with Yangel Herrera, Alexander Callens, Borja Garcia, Joel Roca, Ricard Artero and Toni Villa all on the sidelines.

Herrera picked up his injury against Sevilla last time out, so there could be a start in the middle for Juanpe, although on-loan Barcelona midfielder Pablo Torre is also in contention.

Summer arrival Artem Dovbyk continues to push for a starting role, but the Ukrainian might again be on the bench, with Cristhian Stuani potentially getting the nod to lead the line.

Las Palmas, meanwhile, have four players unavailable for selection, with Daley Sinkgraven, Marvin Park, Alberto Moleiro and Fabio Gonzalez on the treatment table.

Head coach Garcia Pimienta would have been pleased with his team's performance against Real Sociedad last time out, so it would not be a surprise to see the same XI take to the field here.

Sandro Ramirez and Munir El Haddadi should keep hold of their spots in the final third, with Jonathan Viera set to operate in a deeper position for a team chasing their first league win of the season.

Girona possible starting lineup:

Gazzaniga; A Martinez, Lopez, Blind, Gutierrez; Tsygankov, Juanpe, A Garcia, Martin, Savio; Stuani

Las Palmas possible starting lineup:

Valles; Araujo, Suarez, Marmol, Cardona; Loiodice, Rodriguez, Viera; El Haddadi, Kaba, Sandro

We say: Girona 2-1 Las Palmas

Las Palmas are more than capable of picking up a positive result in this match, with the visitors boasting a lot of talent in the final third of the field. We are backing the away team to score but believe that Girona's quality will allow them to continue their excellent start to the 2023-24 campaign.

Previews by email

Top News

22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk South American giants Palmeiras have reportedly sent an 'initial proposal' to Fulham for midfielder Andreas Pereira. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Nuno Espirito Santo will rival Arne Slot to win the Premier League's Manager of the Year award. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona want to sever ties with attacker Ansu Fati at the earliest opportunity in the January transfer window but the player is rebelling against a move, according to a report. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bayern Munich winger Leroy Sane has confirmed that he wants to remain at the Allianz Arena despite links with a return to the Premier League next year. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Serie A powerhouses Napoli have supposedly expressed an interest in signing Manchester United defender Harry Maguire on a free transfer next summer. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Alexander Sorloth scored a last-gasp winner as Atletico Madrid defeated Barcelona 2-1 at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys to go top of the La Liga table. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal attacker Bukayo Saka has been seen leaving Selhurst Park on crutches after sustaining a suspected hamstring problem in Saturday's 5-1 Premier League win over Crystal Palace. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal have written a new page of English football history thanks to their 5-1 destruction of London rivals Crystal Palace in Saturday's Premier League derby. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Round 17 of the 2024-25 Turkish Super Lig will be wrapped up with a clash between two sides from the Marmara region, as Istanbul Basaksehir welcome Kasimpasa to the Basaksehir Fatih Terim Stadyumu on Monday evening. 21 December 2024 talksport.com Leicester loan star Facundo Buonanotte wants to see a Tottenham forward join him so they can rekindle their partnership. 21 December 2024 talksport.com Arsenal's rivals will hate it but they can definitely claim London is red after their 5-1 win over Crystal Palace. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus continued his resurgence with two goals as the Gunners demolished Crystal Palace 5-1 in the Premier League at Selhurst Park. 21 December 2024 talksport.com Arsenal fans' worst fears have been realised with Bukayo Saka substituted early with a suspected hamstring injury. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal have suffered a worrying injury blow over Bukayo Saka, who appeared to pick up a hamstring problem in Saturday's Premier League clash with Crystal Palace. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona and Arsenal are reportedly both interested in signing Sevilla midfielder Lucien Agoume, with the France Under-21s international potentially leaving Estadio Ramon next summer. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid have welcomed Ferland Mendy back into their squad for Sunday's La Liga clash with Sevilla. 21 December 2024 talksport.com Mykhailo Mudryk will be sat ringside at Oleksandr Usyk's rematch with Tyson Fury days after being suspended from football. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Southampton have confirmed the appointment of former Roma head coach Ivan Juric as their new manager following the departure of Russell Martin. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Newcastle United's 4-0 victory against Ipswich Town on Saturday afternoon at Portman Road ensured that they followed up their qualification for the EFL Cup semi-final with an important three points in the Premier League. 21 December 2024 talksport.com Southampton have confirmed ex-Roma boss Ivan Juric as their new manager to replace Russell Martin. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Nottingham Forest enhanced their Champions League credentials and condemned Brentford to their first home loss of the Premier League season with a 2-0 victory at the Gtech Community Stadium. 21 December 2024 talksport.com Jack Grealish burned some bridges with Aston Villa after taunting the club's fans following their victory over Manchester City. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk A fitting final Premier League match before Christmas Day, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool engage in a battle of the behemoths in North London on Sunday afternoon. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aston Villa handed Manchester City a 2-1 defeat on Saturday, adding to the woes of Pep Guardiola's side, who have now endured nine losses in their last 12 matches. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery has claimed that his side decided to defeat Manchester City "through domination" on Saturday afternoon. 21 December 2024 talksport.com "This is a crisis." 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid will be bidding to return to winning ways in La Liga when they welcome Sevilla to Bernabeu on Sunday. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid have added Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk to their wishlist for the summer transfer window, according to a report. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona will be without the services of Hector Fort for Saturday's La Liga clash against Atletico Madrid, with the defender ruled out of the contest due to a hamstring problem. 21 December 2024 talksport.com It was the nightmare before Christmas for new Coventry City manager Frank Lampard.