Both Girona and Real Betis will be bidding to return to winning ways in Spain's top flight when the two teams lock horns at Estadi Municipal de Montilivi on Sunday afternoon.

Girona, who are third in the La Liga table, will enter the contest off the back of a 1-0 defeat at Getafe, while seventh-placed Real Betis lost 2-0 to Rayo Vallecano last time out.

Match preview

Girona title hopes have faded in recent weeks, with the Catalan outfit falling 10 points behind division leaders Real Madrid, but it has still been a remarkable campaign for the club, who are third in the table.

Michel's side are two points behind second-placed Barcelona, while they are crucially seven points ahead of fifth-placed Atletico Madrid in the battle to secure Champions League football for next season.

The White and Reds have finished 10th, 18th and 10th in their previous three campaigns at this level of football, so they are on course to create history this season, but consistency has been a problem of late, losing four of their last six league matches, including a 1-0 reverse to Getafe last time out.

Girona have won their last two league games at home, though, and their form in front of their own supporters has been excellent this season, collecting 35 points from 14 matches, suffering just one defeat.

Michel's side have not conceded a goal in their last three home league matches, which have brought seven points, and they will be hosting a Real Betis outfit that have just three away wins in La Liga this term.

Real Betis will enter this contest off the back of three straight league defeats, losing to Atletico Madrid, Villarreal and Rayo Vallecano during a disappointing March.

The poor run has seen Manuel Pellegrini's side drop out of the top six, with the Seville outfit currently seventh in the table, four points behind sixth-placed Real Sociedad in the race for European football.

Real Betis finished sixth in Spain's top flight last season, but they disappointed in Europe this season, failing to make it out of the group stage of the Europa League before losing to Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa Conference League knockout round playoffs.

The Green and Whites will be determined to end their recent wobble this weekend, and they recorded a 2-1 victory over Girona in the corresponding match between the two sides last season.

Real Betis have actually been victorious in five of their last six La Liga matches against Girona, although the points were shared in a 1-1 draw earlier this season.

Team News

Girona have a relatively lengthy injury list at this moment in time, with Miguel Gutierrez, Ricard Artero, Joel Roca and Toni Villa definitely out of this weekend's contest.

Meanwhile, the hosts have four more doubts in the shape of David Lopez, Borja Garcia, Viktor Tsyhankov and Yangel Herrera; Savio will also be absent for Michel's team on Sunday through suspension, with the attacker picking up a milestone yellow card in the clash with Getafe before the international break.

There might be just the one change from the side that started the 1-0 loss last time out, with Cristhian Stuani coming in for the suspended Savio in a wide position.

As for Real Betis, Youssouf Sabaly, Marc Roca and Marc Bartra are out of the contest through injury, while Hector Bellerin and Cedric Bakambu are major doubts.

However, the away side's squad will be boosted by the return of Ezequiel Avila following a suspension.

William Carvalho could be introduced into the XI on Sunday, while Isco is also expected to start, which could see Nabil Fekir move into a wide position.

Assane Diao and Rodri are also attacking options for Pellegrini's side this weekend, although the pair are likely to continue on the bench from the first whistle.

Girona possible starting lineup:
Gazzaniga; Couto, E Garcia, Juanpe, Blind; Martin, A Garcia; Portu, Torre, Stuani; Dovbyk

Real Betis possible starting lineup:
Silva; Ruibal, Pezzella, Riad, Miranda; Rodriguez, Carvalho; Fornals, Isco, Fekir; Willian Jose

We say: Girona 1-1 Real Betis

Girona have only dropped points in three of their 14 home league games this season, but injuries are really hurting the Catalan side at the moment, and we can see Real Betis ending their losing run this weekend to claim a share of the spoils.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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