Girona will be bidding to continue their impressive start to the 2023-24 La Liga campaign when they host Las Palmas on Sunday afternoon.
The home side have picked up seven points from their opening three matches of the season to sit third in the table, while Las Palmas are 16th, boasting two points from their first three games.
Match preview
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Girona claimed 10th in La Liga last season, which proved to be their joint-best finish in Spain's top flight, and the Catalan outfit have also made a very encouraging start to the 2023-24 campaign.
Indeed, Michel's side opened their season with a 1-1 draw against Real Sociedad on August 12 before recording a 3-0 victory over Getafe on home soil eight days later.
Girona also collected three points last time out, winning 2-1 at Sevilla, with Aleix Garcia's goal in the 56th minute proving to be the difference between the two sides at Estadio Ramon.
A total of seven points from three matches has left the White and Reds in third spot in the table, two points behind the leaders Real Madrid, and they will now be bidding to enter the international break off the back of another positive result.
Girona won both La Liga meetings between these two teams during the 2017-18 campaign, while they are unbeaten against Las Palmas in all competitions since April 2015.
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Las Palmas, meanwhile, will enter this match off the back of a goalless draw with Real Sociedad last Friday.
Garcia Pimienta's side are yet to get off the mark in terms of wins this season, drawing their opener against Mallorca on August 12 before suffering a 1-0 loss at Valencia in the second match of the campaign.
Not too much attention can be paid to the league table at this stage, but Las Palmas are 16th in the division on two points, and they will be determined to secure their first three points of the season as soon as possible.
Las Palmas secured a return to Spain's top flight by finishing second in the Segunda Division last season, with La Union Deportiva back in La Liga for the first time since the 2017-18 campaign.
The Canary Islanders spent five straight seasons in the Segunda Division before securing a return, and they will be determined to consolidate at this level once again.
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Team News
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Girona have a fairly lengthy injury list at this stage of the campaign, with Yangel Herrera, Alexander Callens, Borja Garcia, Joel Roca, Ricard Artero and Toni Villa all on the sidelines.
Herrera picked up his injury against Sevilla last time out, so there could be a start in the middle for Juanpe, although on-loan Barcelona midfielder Pablo Torre is also in contention.
Summer arrival Artem Dovbyk continues to push for a starting role, but the Ukrainian might again be on the bench, with Cristhian Stuani potentially getting the nod to lead the line.
Las Palmas, meanwhile, have four players unavailable for selection, with Daley Sinkgraven, Marvin Park, Alberto Moleiro and Fabio Gonzalez on the treatment table.
Head coach Garcia Pimienta would have been pleased with his team's performance against Real Sociedad last time out, so it would not be a surprise to see the same XI take to the field here.
Sandro Ramirez and Munir El Haddadi should keep hold of their spots in the final third, with Jonathan Viera set to operate in a deeper position for a team chasing their first league win of the season.
Girona possible starting lineup:
Gazzaniga; A Martinez, Lopez, Blind, Gutierrez; Tsygankov, Juanpe, A Garcia, Martin, Savio; Stuani
Las Palmas possible starting lineup:
Valles; Araujo, Suarez, Marmol, Cardona; Loiodice, Rodriguez, Viera; El Haddadi, Kaba, Sandro
We say: Girona 2-1 Las Palmas
Las Palmas are more than capable of picking up a positive result in this match, with the visitors boasting a lot of talent in the final third of the field. We are backing the away team to score but believe that Girona's quality will allow them to continue their excellent start to the 2023-24 campaign.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Matt Law
