January 18, 2025. 3:00 p.m. Girona. Montilivi.
La Liga 2024-25. 20th day
Girona vs Sevilla
Suspension : Yangel Herrera (Girona)
Nurse: Bojan Myovski – Tanguy Nianzou
In doubt: Valentín Barco, Chidera Ejuke (both – Seville)
Suspension risks: Loïc Badé, Adrià Pedrosa, Lucien Agoumé, Gibril Sow, Isaac Romero (all – Seville)
Girona
Michel’s side ended a run of six matches without a win at the end of last year, a period which included two Champions League defeats which dashed their hopes of progressing to the knockout stages. They were also knocked out of the Copa del Rey by Logroñés of the fourth division and only managed to get one point from three La Liga matches. Those setbacks have seen the Catalans slip back down the table, but the density of points means a few wins could significantly improve their situation.
-In their final match of the previous year, Girona brilliantly beat Valladolid at home, scoring three unanswered goals, with goals from David Lopez, Abel Ruiz and Arnaud Džuma. The previous weekend, the rojiblancos played their first match of the new calendar year and recorded another “clean” victory. It was somewhat unexpected and rather illogical, but who cares now? The Catalans faced Alavés in Vitoria. Despite expectations, the match was not particularly brilliant, with few scoring opportunities. As the end of the match approached, it seemed like a draw was inevitable; However, in the 90th minute, a defensive mistake by the Basques cost them dearly – Colombian midfielder John Solís scored his first professional goal for Girona. This crucial goal allowed the team to finish the first half of the season in 8th place, just two points from the European competition places.
Seville
The first month of winter for the Nervionenses was marked by the farewell of a legend – Jesús Navas concluded his illustrious, vibrant and successful career. Initially, the farewells took place at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuán. Sevilla hosted Celta and secured a victory against their brave opponents with a score of 1:0, thanks to a goal from young academy graduate Manu Bueno. This victory remains the last for Garcia Pimienta’s team. A week later, Navas played his last match – at the Santiago Bernabéu, the legend was warmly received, but Real were in no mood to give Sevilla any favors, with the match ending in a 4-game defeat: 2 for visitors.
In their first match of the new year, Sevilla again conceded four goals, this time against a significantly weaker opponent – Almería, leaders of La Liga 2. The representatives of the elite opened the scoring and even won the first half. However, after the break, the red and whites returned to form and tore apart Garcia Pimienta’s defense, knocking them out of the Copa del Rey. Last weekend, Sevilla hosted Valencia at home. Following a change in head coach, the bats have improved markedly, providing a tough challenge to the match favorites. Moreover, Los Che, with a little luck, almost left the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuán with a victory, but in injury time, Adrià Pedrosa saved Sevilla, after Giorgi Mamardashvili made an unexpected error in goal – the match ended 1:1.
Girona vs Sevilla : Planned compositions
At Girona, suspended midfielder Yangel Herrera is out, while striker Bojan Myovski remains injured. It looks like these are the only losses for the Catalans ahead of their first home game of the new year. As for Sevilla, they still cannot count on central defender Tanguy Nianzou. Additionally, the participation of full-back Valentín Barco is uncertain, having reportedly been on his way to Brighton & Hove, along with winger Chidera Ejuke. It also remains unclear what awaits Kike Salas, who recently found himself at the center of a scandal with rumors of an imminent arrest. However, it appears the defender has been largely spared – the investigation concerns his associates, not him. But we’ll see how this story plays out.
Girona vs Sevilla : Author’s prediction
Girona have won the last six head-to-head meetings against Sevilla, five of which were under Michel’s leadership. Meanwhile, during this period, the Nervionenses went through four different coaches – Jorge Sampaoli, José Luis Mendilibar, Kike Sánchez Flores and García Pimienta, who lost the first leg against Michel 0:2 on September 1 of the year last. Spanish and Ukrainian football fans should also remember Girona’s previous home match against Sevilla, where the rojiblancos managed a sensational victory after a turnaround, finishing 5:1 (with a hat-trick from Artem Dovbyk and a goal from Viktor Tsygankov). Although I don’t expect such a rout this year, Girona is rightly considered the favorite for this meeting. Therefore, I am not going to concoct anything too elaborate in my prediction.
