Girona will be bidding to return to winning ways in Spain's top flight when they welcome relegation-threatened Cadiz to Estadi Montilivi on Saturday evening.

The home side are currently third in the La Liga table, four points ahead of fourth-placed Atletico Madrid, while Cadiz occupy 18th, three points behind 17th-placed Celta Vigo with seven games left.

Match preview

Girona's poor away form continued at Wanda Metropolitano last weekend, going down 3-1 to Atletico Madrid, which made it five straight defeats on the road for the Catalan outfit.

In contrast, Michel's side are unbeaten at home in the league since the end of September, winning each of their last three against Rayo Vallecano, Osasuna and Real Betis, scoring eight times in the process.

Girona will therefore be delighted to be back on home soil this weekend, with the White and Reds looking to strengthen their grip on a top-four position in La Liga heading into the final straight.

The Catalan side are currently third in the table, five points behind second-placed Barcelona and four clear of fourth-placed Atletico, while they are also eight points ahead of fifth-placed Athletic Bilbao.

Girona were unable to keep pace with Real Madrid at the top of the division, but it is still set to be a remarkable campaign for the club, who are only in their fourth-ever season at this level of football.

Michel's side, who have the third-best home record in the division this term, will end April with a trip to Las Palmas before the small matter of a home fixture against Barcelona on May 4.

Cadiz, meanwhile, will enter this contest off the back of a 1-0 defeat at home to Barcelona, but they have managed to win two of their last four league matches to boost their survival hopes.

Mauricio Pellegrino's side are currently 18th in the table, three points behind 17th-placed Celta, while they are six points from both 16th-placed Rayo Vallecano and 15th-placed Mallorca.

The Yellow Submarine are in their fourth straight season at this level of football, which is their best run since the early 1990s, finishing 12th, 17th and 14th since gaining promotion at the end of 2019-20.

Cadiz have the third-worst away record in the division this season and have actually failed to win on their travels during the 2023-24 campaign; it will be a difficult ask to secure their first success at Girona considering the Catalan outfit's form on home soil this term.

El Submarino Amarillo suffered a 1-0 defeat to Girona in the reverse match earlier this season, but they did pick up a point in a 1-1 draw in the corresponding fixture during the 2022-23 campaign.

Team News

Girona will again be without the services of Joel Roca due to a long-term knee problem, while Viktor Tsyhankov and Ricard Artero are also expected to be unavailable for selection through injury.

The Catalan outfit will be boosted by the return of Ivan Martin, though, with the Spaniard serving a suspension in the defeat to Atletico last time out.

Martin should be back in the middle of midfield for this match, while there could be a change in the final third of the field, with Portu potentially coming in for Yan Couto.

Artem Dovbyk has scored 17 La Liga goals during an excellent campaign, and the 26-year-old will continue in the final third of the field this weekend.

As for Cadiz, Jose Mari, Romingue Kouame, Luis Hernandez and Fede San Emeterio will again be unavailable for selection on Saturday night.

The visitors will also have to work around the absence of left-back Javi Hernandez, who is suspended due to the milestone yellow card that he picked up in the clash with Barcelona.

Lucas Pires is in line to replace Javi Hernandez this weekend, while there could be a change in the final third of the field, with Maxi Gomez potentially being introduced in place of Chris Ramos.

Girona possible starting lineup:
Gazzaniga; E Garcia, D Lopez, Blind, Gutierrez; Martin, Herrera, A Garcia; Portu, Dovbyk, Savio

Cadiz possible starting lineup:
Ledesma; Carcelen, Ousou, Chust, Pires; Sobrino, A Fernandez, Alcaraz, Navarro; Gomez, Juanmi

We say: Girona 2-0 Cadiz

Girona's home form has been so strong this season, and we are finding it very difficult to back Cadiz to pick up a positive result considering their away struggles in 2023-24. Cadiz are capable of making it a tricky match for the hosts, but we are expecting Michel's side to triumph in routine fashion.

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