Girona will look to bounce back from three straight competitive defeats when they welcome Rayo Vallecano to Montilivi for Wednesday's La Liga contest.
The hosts are sitting in 12th spot with seven points to their name, while Rayo are one point better off in ninth position.
Match preview
© Imago
After seeing several key players leave in the summer, Girona always knew that it was going to be difficult to replicate the success of last season's extraordinary third-placed finish.
While their league campaign is only six games old, the early signs suggest that Girona have their work cut out to secure European qualification for a second consecutive season.
The new-look Girona side are currently operating in the bottom half of the table after winning two, drawing one and losing three of their six league matches.
Since claiming back-to-back victories over Osasuna and Sevilla, the Blanquivermells have gone on to lose three consecutive matches in all competitions, including a heavy 4-1 defeat in the Catalan derby on September 15.
They then suffered late heartbreak in the French capital to lose 1-0 to Paris Saint-Germain in their first-ever Champions League match, before two deflected strikes saw them fall to a 2-0 defeat in Saturday's away La Liga meeting against a Valencia side that had gone 12 league games without a win.
Girona will be desperate to return to winning ways in a game that is always special to their manager Michel, who is regarded as a Rayo legend after he made over 300 appearances as a player and spent a couple of years in the dugout in Vallecas.
Michel will certainly fancy his chances of getting one over his former club, having seen his Girona side win the last three head-to-head meetings by a combined 8-2 scoreline.
© Imago
Rayo will head into the midweek contest in a positive mood, having collected four points from their two home matches since the international period.
They returned from the two-week break with a 3-1 victory over Osasuna, before they produced a dogged display to take a point off Atletico Madrid on Sunday.
Isi Palazon saw his first-half opener cancelled out by Conor Gallagher's 50th-minute equaliser, but Rayo ultimately stood firm for the remainder of the contest to end a run of three consecutive head-to-head defeats.
After playing consecutive home games, Los Franjirrojos will now head on their travels for their fourth away fixture of the season, having seen their previous three matches produce a win over Real Sociedad, a draw with Getafe and a defeat to Espanyol.
Rayo are searching for their first-ever top-flight win over Girona after drawing two and losing four of their previous six La Liga meetings.
Los Franjirrojos are also searching for their first competitive head-to-head victory since recording a 2-1 away win in the Copa del Rey in January 2022.
Team News
© Imago
Girona will have to assess Portu's fitness after he was forced to sit out the defeat to Valencia due to an ankle problem.
After rotating his side at the weekend, Michel is set to recall David Lopez, Miguel Gutierrez, Bryan Gil, Ivan Martin and Viktor Tsygankov.
Yangel Herrera returned from a two-game injury absence to feature as a substitute against Valencia, and he is now expected to start in midfield in Wednesday's home contest.
As for the visitors, they remain without the services of Alfonso Espino and Diego Mendez, while Gerard Gumbau and Alvaro Garcia are both doubts after they missed the draw with Atleti.
Midfielder Oscar Valentin and forward Sergio Camello are pushing for recalls after dropping to the bench at the weekend.
Summer signing James Rodriguez could be given more minutes off the bench, having featured as a substitute in Rayo's last two matches.
Girona possible starting lineup:
Gazzaniga; Frances, Lopez, Blind, Gutierrez; Herrera, Romeu, Martin; Tsygankov, Gil, Ruiz
Rayo Vallecano possible starting lineup:
Batalla; Ratiu, Mumin, Lejeune, Chavarria; Valentin, Lopez; De Frutos, Palazon, Embarba; Camello
We say: Girona 3-1 Rayo Vallecano
Girona have experienced three consecutive defeats, but they have performed well in recent meetings with Rayo, and we think that they will make full use of the home advantage to clinch a fourth successive head-to-head victory over Michel's former side.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
