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Girona v Real Madrid preview
Girona have been in the Liga relegation zone for 12 matches but only remain in the bottom three on goal difference after collecting four points from their last six matches, following up a 1-0 home win over Alaves with a 1-1 draw at Real Betis last Sunday.
Ukraine forward Vladyslav Vanat opened the scoring in the 20th minute, with Betis equalising 15 minutes from time through Valentin Gomez as part of a result Girona boss Michel described as “a good point against great opponents”.
“We countered well and anything could have happened,” Michel added, via AS. “It was an important point.
“Our momentum is where we want it to be. If we realise that we can create chances with the ball, we can improve.”
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Kylian Mbappe scored four times in a 4-3 win at Olympiacos on Wednesday for Madrid, who have drawn successive league away games and lead Barcelona at the top of the table by a point after 13 games.
Madrid equalised through Dean Huijsen in the 78th minute and Jude Bellingham in the 87th as their visit to Elche last Sunday ended 2-2.
“The calendar means we’re playing six away games, which doesn’t happen very often,” observed Alonso, whose players visit Athletic Club on Wednesday. “We’ll deal with it.
“Nothing has changed for me. I’m no novice at this and I know it’s a long road ahead. There’s no need to go crazy.
“You have to be demanding of yourself, but you also have to remember that there’s always another match coming up and look ahead.”
Girona v Real Madrid team news
Goalkeeper Juan Carlos and winger Portu (both knee) and midfielder Donny van de Beek (achilles) remain out for Girona, who are hopeful that centre-back Alejandro Frances and on-loan Atletico Madrid midfielder Thomas Lemar will return.
Defender or midfielder David Lopez and goalkeeper Vladyslav Krapyvtsov are injured, while versatile veteran Daley Blind is unlikely to recover in time from a neck problem.
Centre-back Vitor Reis, who Michel described as “superb” against Betis, is a booking away from a ban.
“Portu’s injury has been a hard blow, but he will be with us,” Michel said before the draw at Betis. “Not on the pitch, but he will be.
“He told us so in the dressing room in a chat. He is a player with a great sense of belonging, like Juan Carlos. The team needs them and they will be with us.”
Jude Bellingham could return to Madrid’s starting line-up, having come on as a substitute against Olympiacos because the club are managing the midfielder’s load over a calf issue.
Defenders Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao and David Alaba are long-term absentees, but goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is available again, having been ill.
Centre-back Huijsen is likely to be available despite missing the game in Greece with a knee niggle. Alonso has said defender Antonio Rudiger and midfielder Franco Mastantuono are closing in on comebacks from injury.
Aurelien Tchouameni will incur a suspension if the defender or midfielder is booked.
Girona v Real Madrid predicted lineups
Girona starting XI: Paulo Gazzaniga, Hugo Rincon, Arnau Martinez, Vitor Reis, Alex Moreno, Viktor Tsygankov, Ivan Martin, Axel Witsel, Azzedine Ounahi, Bryan Gil, Vladyslav Vanat
Real Madrid starting XI: Thibaut Courtois, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Raul Asencio, Alvaro Carreras, Ferland Mendy, Federico Valverde, Aurelien Tchouameni, Jude Bellingham, Eduardo Camavinga, Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe
How to watch Girona v Madrid: TV channel, online live stream
Kick-off on Sunday is at 20:00 BST (15:00 ET / 12:00 PT), with live coverage in the UK on Premier Sports 1 and streaming available on a vast range of devices via the Premier Sports app.
A Premier Sports subscription costs £120 a year, £11.99 per month on a 12-month contract or £16.99 per month with 30 days’ cancellation notice required.
