Almeria and Girona will meet at the Power Horse Stadium on Thursday for a LaLiga matchup. There is just one point separating the two clubs at this stage, so it should be an exciting matchup.
Real Betis defeated the home team the previous weekend, but they will aim to get back on track this weekend against an opposing team that hasn’t won in four attempts away from home.
Our Match Preview: Almeria vs Girona
There was cause for concern in Almeria earlier this month as they lost 4-0 to Athletic Club, making it four straight defeats since the departure of star striker Umar Sadiq. During that stretch, they failed to score a single goal.
There was concern that losing their prolific Nigerian striker would be a fatal blow to their survival effort, but a 3-1 win against Rayo Vallecano two weeks ago, led by the brilliant Adrian Embarba, allayed those concerns.
Despite suffering a 3-1 setback at the hands of Rubi’s previous side Real Betis last weekend, the loss did provide some offensive hope, as Rubi’s squad posted its greatest anticipated goals total since a 2-1 victory over Sevilla back in August.
Betis, who had only given up one goal at the Benito Villamarin before Almeria’s visit, had a tough time dealing with Sadiq’s successor, El Bilal Toure, who scored twice in as many games for the Andalusian club, with assists from Gonzalo Melero for the second game in a row.
Los Rojiblancos are hoping to extend their lead over the bottom three with a second straight home victory against a more beatable team.
However, Girona has been unable to convert recent excellent offensive displays into victories, as seen by their three losses and a draw in their previous four games.
A match against Cadiz seemed like a good chance to go back on the winning track after a string of difficult games against Real Betis, Real Sociedad, and Atletico Madrid.
However, a 1-1 draw with their relegation-threatened opponents was lackluster, as it was only gained with a penalty from Cristhian Stuani in the 102nd minute.
The Catalan team has yet to win an away game this season, so a match against a newly promoted team might be their chance to finally end their winless road skid.
Our Team News: Almeria vs Girona
There was cause for concern in Almeria earlier this month as they lost 4-0 to Athletic Club, making it four straight defeats since the departure of star striker Umar Sadiq. During that stretch, they failed to score a single goal.
There was concern that losing their prolific Nigerian striker would be a fatal blow to their survival effort, but a 3-1 win against Rayo Vallecano two weeks ago, led by the brilliant Adrian Embarba, allayed those concerns.
Despite suffering a 3-1 setback at the hands of Rubi’s previous side Real Betis last weekend, the loss did provide some offensive hope, as Rubi’s squad posted its greatest anticipated goals total since a 2-1 victory over Sevilla back in August.
Betis, who had only given up one goal at the Benito Villamarin before Almeria’s visit, had a tough time dealing with Sadiq’s successor, El Bilal Toure, who scored twice in as many games for the Andalusian club, with assists from Gonzalo Melero for the second game in a row.
Los Rojiblancos are hoping to extend their lead over the bottom three with a second straight home victory against a more beatable team.
However, Girona has been unable to convert recent excellent offensive displays into victories, as seen by their three losses and a draw in their previous four games.
A match against Cadiz seemed like a good chance to go back on the winning track after a string of difficult games against Real Betis, Real Sociedad, and Atletico Madrid.
However, a 1-1 draw with their relegation-threatened opponents was lackluster, as it was only gained with a penalty from Cristhian Stuani in the 102nd minute.
The Catalan team has yet to win an away game this season, so a match against a newly promoted team might be their chance to finally end their winless road skid.
- Almeria possible starting lineup: Pacheco, Akieme, Babic, Ely, Pozo, De la Hoz, Melero; Ramazani, Robertone, Embarba, Toure.
- Girona possible starting lineup: Juan Carlos; Gutierrez, Juanpe, Espinosa, Bueno, Arnau, Garcia, Romeu, Herrera; Stuani, Castellanos.
Our Prediction: Almeria 1-1 Girona
As a result of the fact that both teams are very motivated to obtain victory, we anticipate a cautious and close contest since neither team will want to overcommit for fear of being exposed to a potential counterattack.
A score draw would appear to be a feasible result under the circumstances, given that Almeria’s offensive play has improved in recent weeks while Girona’s is certain to be risky whenever Stuani is on the field of play.
