Atletico Madrid vs Girona: Preview, Prediction & Betting Tips

Atletico Madrid host Girona in La Liga in what will be a crucial game at the top of the table and for the race for Champions League football.

Date: 13/04/24

Kick-off time: 13:00

Venue: Metropolitano Stadium

Girona have had a brilliant season, currently occupying a top three place in the table. They had long fought at the very top and threatened to win their first ever title before they fell away in recent weeks with them now in third. Nevertheless, it has been a great campaign for the side, and it looks increasingly likely they will be playing Champions League football next season. On 65 points, they are 10 behind leaders Real Madrid, but trail second place Barcelona by just two, who are very much in reach.

Fourth place belongs to Atletico Madrid, who are seven points behind this weekend’s opponents. A victory would place them just four away, and give them a good chance of infiltrating the top three in the remaining seven games afterwards. A defeat, however, would leave them nervously looking over their shoulders to Athletic Bilbao in fifth, who they are two points ahead of.

Usually known for their defensive prowess, Atletico have not kept a clean sheet in their last eight games, which presents the visitors the opportunity to put some pressure on a stumbling backline. Girona have scored at least two goals in four of their last six, and will be leaning on the services of Artem Dovbyk, who has scored 16 times this season. The hosts have plenty of attacking threat of their own, with Alvaro Morata and Antoine Griezmann scoring a combined 25 goals.

In their last four La Liga meetings, Atletico Madrid have been the dominant side, winning three of them. They met twice in the Copa Del Rey in 2019, with these two fixtures ending in draws. Girona’s one win came in the reverse fixture in late January, which ended in a 4-3 thriller. It was a rollercoaster of a game, with both teams holding a lead at some point. Captain Valery Fernandez put the hosts ahead after just two minutes, but this was cancelled out by the first of an Alvaro Morata hat-trick. Girona added two more in the first half to take a 3-1 lead, but Morata pulled another back, before scoring the equaliser shortly after the restart. The winner came in dramatic fashion, with Ivan Martin striking in stoppage time.

Atletico Madrid

Mario Hermoso is expected to return in the midweek fixture against Borussia Dortmund, so he should be available for selection at the weekend.

Girona

David Lopez and Ricard Artero will be sidelined until later this month. Ivan Martin will serve a suspension for an accumulation of yellow cards.

Atletico Madrid

In their last six games, Atletico Madrid have won four and lost two. It has been a mixed stretch, with some tough defeats but also progress in the Champions League. The first game in this run was a 2-1 home victory over Real Betis. The hosts went ahead early on as Betis goalkeeper Rui Silva converted the ball into his own net. Alvaro Morata gave his side some breathing room with a goal just before half-time. William Carvalho pulled one back for the visitors, but they were unable to mount a comeback.

They followed this with a disappointing 2-0 defeat at relegation battling Cadiz. They dominated possession, but only mustered eight shot attempts, whilst the hosts took advantage of two of their three shots on target. Juanmi was the goalscorer, as he netted either side of half-time to secure the win.

Focus shifted to European action with the second leg of their Last-16 tie against Inter Milan. They had a 1-0 deficit to overcome from the first leg, but the game ended 2-1 after 90 minutes and extra-time to send it to penalties. Federico Dimarco had put Inter in front, but an equaliser from Antoine Griezmann then a late winner for Memphis Depay salvaged it. They went on to win 3-2 on penalties.

Their return to league action resulted in a crushing 3-0 home loss to rivals Barcelona. Atletico loanee Joao Felix, Robert Lewandowski and Fermin Lopez were all on the scoresheet. It was a good response in their most recent game as they won 2-1 away at Villarreal. Axel Witsel broke the deadlock early, but Alexander Sorloth found the leveller. Saul Niguez scored in the 87th minute to win it.

Diego Simeone's men also managed to beat Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie on Wednesday night as goals Rodrigo De Paul and Samuel Lino gave Atleti a commanding two-goal cushion, before Sebastien Haller struck late on to half the deficit for the German Bundesliga outfit.

Girona

In their last five games, Girona have won three and lost two. It has been an inconsistent run of form for Girona, but they are still at the top end of the table. Their most recent game was a 3-2 victory at Real Betis, which came in dramatic fashion. They took the lead from the penalty spot as Artem Dovbyk converted. Willian Jose equalised for the visitors on the stroke of half-time, before the two players exchanged further goals to make it 2-2. Girona snatched all three points at the death as Cristhian Stuani scored in stoppage time.

This followed a narrow 1-0 defeat at Getafe. It was a very even game, but it was the hosts who managed to get the decisive goal. Jesus Santiago scored the winner in the 34th minute. Osasuna were on the end of a 2-0 defeat to Girona the week prior. The two goals came both early and late, with Portu breaking the deadlock, and Savio adding some insurance with four minutes remaining.

Their struggles were evident against Mallorca, as they could not string a pair of wins together. Once again they enjoyed more possession and more shots, but could not find the back of the net in another 1-0 loss. The goal came in the first half from Jose Manuel Copete. The first game in this stretch was a comfortable 3-0 win against Rayo Vallecano. It was 0-0 at half-time but a goal by Viktor Tsyhankov put them ahead, before Vallecano were reduced to ten men. Two more strikes made it three in stoppage time.

This will be a close game between two top four teams. Both have endured inconsistent stretches, and will be desperate for a win to build some momentum. Expect Atletico Madrid to use their home advantage and edge it – Atletico Madrid 2-1 Girona

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Atletico Madrid vs Girona will be available to watch on Viaplay Sports 1.

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