La Liga: Remarkable Girona Begin Home Straight

Girona vs Real Betis

Remarkable Girona have brought us La Liga highlights to savour this season.

The underdogs have given a bloody nose to almost all of the big boys and, as they head into the final few months of the season, still lie third in the table and are on course to qualify for European football for the first time ever.

That would be a fine achievement but, to reach the Champions League, would really complete their Cinderella run in 2023/24.

Lying in their wait this Easter weekend, the wily campaigner Manuel Pellegrini and Real Betis.

Talking Points

With both these sides losing in their last outings – Girona at Getafe and Betis at Rayo Vallecano – they could do with a return to winning ways.

Those defeats meant Girona slipped to third in the table behind Barcelona, while Betis fell four points behind Real Sociedad in the race for sixth spot.

Los Verdiblancos sit in 7th place in the La Liga standings with 42 points — Manuel Pellegrini of Real Betis during the Liga match against Deportivo Alaves

It was their third successive league loss and, combined with a Europa Conference exit at the hands of Dinamo Zagreb last month, they are far from certain of being able to secure a European berth next term.

Their cause has not been helped by the absence of Youssouf Sabaly, Marc Roca and Marc Bartra through injury, while Hector Bellerin and Cedric Bakambu are major doubts.

Los Verdiblancos do have some good news ahead of the clash as Ezequiel Avila returns from suspension.

Girona have a relatively lengthy injury list of their own with Miguel Gutierrez, Ricard Artero, Joel Roca and Toni Villa all out and question marks against the likes of David Lopez, Borja Garcia, Viktor Tsyhankov and Yangel Herrera.

Savio is banned which could mean a place in the starting line-up for Cristhian Stuani.

How Girona would love to qualify for Europe for the first time in the club’s history.

However, to go straight into the Champions League alongside the likes of giants Barcelona and Real Madrid, the runaway La Liga leaders, would be another story.

Remember, this is the side hailing from a city of 97,586 people, overshadowed by Barcelona 99 kilometers down the road, and a club which sold a number of its best players last summer, including Oriol Romeu (to Barcelona), top scorer Taty Castellanos, their best winger Rodrigo Riquelme and centre-back Santi Bueno.

Founded in 1930, they have spent just four seasons in the Spanish top flight with their best ever finish of 10 ^th last year.

Whatever happens now, they are the story of the season for me, punching far above their weight and deserving nothing but credit.

Yet with nine matches to go, Girona are six points ahead of Athletic Bilbao and seven ahead of Atletico Madrid.

Victory at home to Betis on Easter Day will push them that bit closer to a fairytale ending.

History

Until 2009, these two clubs had only met twice.

Those games were in the Segunda Division in the 1940/41 season.

Girona won 1-0 at home with Betis triumphing 4-3 on their own turf later that campaign.

They didn’t then meet again until October 2009 when goals from Sergio García and Mariano Pavone secured a 2-0 win for Betis in the same division.

A Canas goal avenged that defeat for Girona later that season.

Their first meeting in the top flight was in November 2017 and it had the most dramatic of finishes.

Portu’s shot had given Girona the lead before the home side levelled five minutes from time through an Andrés Guardado free-kick.

Portu appeared to have won it in the final minute only for Betis to hit back straight away through Cristian Tello as the contest ended 2-2.

Since then, Betis have won five of their six league meetings with the only exception being earlier this season in Seville when they needed a late leveller to rescue a point.

Artem Dovbyk’s first-half penalty put Girona in front only for them to be pegged back two minutes from time by Germán Pezzella.

Apart from that maiden meeting in 1940, Girona have never defeated Betis on home soil.

In the corresponding game last season, a second-half double from Borja Iglesias overturned Gutierrez’s opener in a 2-1 victory for Pellegrini’s men.

Iglesias was also their nemesis earlier in the campaign with a double, one from the penalty spot, in another 2-1 victory after Arnau Martínez had given Girona an early lead.

Overall, Betis have won 11 of their 15 contests with two Girona successes and two draws.