News
SÁB 07.12.2024
Matchday 16 of the 2024/25 LALIGA EA SPORTS campaign is just around the corner and one game that stands out is the duel between Girona FC and Real Madrid at the Estadi Montilivi on Saturday. It promises to be another highly-entertaining match-up, after these two clubs have played out several high-scoring games in recent years.
Girona FC enter this next duel in decent form. Míchel won the November Coach of the Month prize for LALIGA EA SPORTS and then the Catalan team netted deep into second-half stoppage time through Ladislav Krejčí last weekend to snatch a 2-2 draw and rescue a point away at fellow European contenders Villarreal CF. Now, Los Blanquivermells will look to get back to winning ways on home soil, where they’ve won four of their seven league duels this season.
As for the guests, Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid just lost 2-1 away at Athletic Club on Wednesday night. They had won their previous three games before that, scoring nine goals and conceding none, but now travel to Catalonia in search of three points.
A high-scoring match-up
When these teams met last season, Real Madrid produced two of their best performances of the season to win 3-0 away in Catalonia and 4-0 at home. As such, the last time Girona FC netted a goal against the capital city side was back on April 25th, 2023, and they scored four times for a memorable 4-2 victory. All four of their goals were scored by Taty Castellanos, who became the first player to achieve this against Los Blancos in more than 75 years.
Real Madrid may have managed to secure two wins and two clean sheets in a row since then, but the head-to-head history between the two teams shows that fans can expect a highly-entertaining game on Saturday. As many as 45 goals have been scored in their 10 clashes across all competitions, working out at 4.5 goals per game, with none of those matches having featured fewer than two goals.
At home, Girona CF have won two of their last four league games against Real Madrid, although Carlo Ancelotti’s side cruised past the Catalans with a 3-0 road victory in this fixture last season. Joselu opened the scoring for the visitors, with Aurélien Tchouaméni doubling their lead before the break and Jude Bellingham netting the third to practically put the game to bed with 19 minutes to go. Girona FC didn’t manage to take their revenge at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu back in February, when Vinícius and Rodrygo scored one each, with Bellingham bagging a brace for a comfortable 4-0 Real Madrid victory.
Competing in Europe
Yet, despite losing both their games against the reigning champions last term, Girona FC managed to clinch third spot in the table, which brought qualification to the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history. Los Blanquivermells celebrated their first ever victory in European football competition on October 22nd, when they defeated ŠK Slovan Bratislava 2-0 at the Estadi Montilivi. Real Madrid academy graduate Miguel Gutiérrez scored the opener and Juanpe netted the second to finish the game off in the second half.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid came into this season after winning a record-extending 15th Champions League title back in June. Los Blancos did so by remaining undefeated in Europe, where they registered nine wins and four draws on their way to glory.
As Girona FC fight to secure a coveted top-four finish for a second consecutive season, and as Real Madrid set their sights on achieving back-to-back league titles for the first time since the 2007/08 campaign, Saturday’s clash promises to deliver a thrilling spectacle for LALIGA EA SPORTS fans.
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