Preview: Girona vs. Osasuna - prediction, team news, lineups

The home side, who remain second in the table, have lost three of their last four in the league, which has seen them slip seven points behind division leaders Real Madrid, while Osasuna's recent strong form has moved them up into 10th position.

Match preview

Girona were always going to have a dip during what has been a remarkable campaign, and their recent struggles have allowed Real Madrid to open up a seven-point advantage at the summit.

Michel's side have only managed to win one of their last five league matches, suffering three defeats in the process, including a 1-0 reverse to Mallorca last weekend, with the Catalan outfit now losing their last three away games in the league to Real Madrid, Athletic Bilbao and Mallorca.

Girona will now be looking over their shoulder, as third-placed Barcelona are just a point behind, while Atletico Madrid in fourth are now just four points behind the team currently in second position.

The White and Reds crucially sit nine points ahead of fifth-placed Athletic Bilbao, though, and a top-four finish would still go down as an incredible season for the club, who have finished 10th, 18th and 10th in their previous three campaigns at this level of football.

Girona have been impressive on home soil this season, picking up 32 points from their 13 matches, recording 10 wins in the process, so they will be pleased to be back at Estadi Montilivi on Saturday evening.

Osasuna have been relatively solid on their travels this season, though, claiming 15 points from 13 matches courtesy of a record of four wins, three draws and six defeats.

Jagoba Arrasate's side will also enter this match in impressive form, having picked up 10 points from their last four league games, beating Real Sociedad, Cadiz and Alaves, in addition to drawing with Las Palmas, since their last defeat at home to Celta Vigo at the start of February.

Los Rojillos have risen into 10th position in the table, just one point behind eighth-placed Las Palmas, while they are also now only four points behind seventh-placed Real Sociedad.

Osasuna picked up a point in a 1-1 draw when they travelled to Estadi Montilivi last season, but Giirona were 4-2 winners when the pair locked horns for the reverse fixture back in November.

Arrasate's side have held Sevilla and Las Palmas to draws in their last four away matches, in addition to recording a 1-0 victory at Real Sociedad, while they only narrowly lost (1-0) to Barcelona at the end of January.

Girona La Liga form:

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Osasuna La Liga form:

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Team News

Girona are set to be missing five players on Saturday evening due to injury, with Yangel Herrera, David Lopez, Ricard Artero, Joel Roca and Toni Villa unavailable for selection.

Daley Blind is expected to return to the middle of the home side's defence for this match, while there is also likely to be a spot further forward for Portu.

As a result, Ivan Martin could drop into a deeper midfield position alongside Aleix Garcia, with Jhon Solis likely to drop down to the bench following the defeat to Mallorca last time out.

As for Osasuna, David Garcia and Kike Barja are unavailable for selection due to hamstring and knee injuries respectively, while Ruben Pena is a doubt with a muscular issue.

Barja picked up his injury in the 15th minute of the clash with Alaves last time out, while David Garcia was forced off the field in the second half, so there will have to be at least two changes to the away side's starting XI for this weekend's contest.

Unai Garcia is expected to come into the back four, while Moi Gomez is likely to benefit from Barja's absence, having replaced him off the bench in the 1-0 success over Alaves.

Girona possible starting lineup:

Gazzaniga; Couto, E Garcia, Blind, Gutierrez; Martin, A Garcia; Tsyhankov, Portu, Savio; Dovbyk

Osasuna possible starting lineup:

Herrera; Areso, U Garcia, Herrando, Mojica; Moncayola, Torro; Ruben Garcia, Oroz, M Gomez; Budimir

We say: Girona 2-1 Osasuna

This has the potential to be a very tricky match for Girona, as Osasuna are in excellent form and will arrive full of confidence. Girona have been strong at home this season, though, and we are backing the Catalan side to navigate their way to an important three points this weekend.

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