The new year brings Girona another chance to prove that they are genuine title contenders in the Spanish league.
Girona’s first game of 2024 will be a tough challenge at home to third-placed Atlético Madrid on Wednesday.
The Catalan club have been a surprise team in Spain so far this season, picking up victories like the one they got against defending champions Barcelona last month.
Now they have a chance to beat the Atlético team that ended the year with a win against Sevilla.
Girona, part-owned by Manchester City’s Abu Dhabi ownership, are level with Real Madrid on 45 points but fall short of the Spanish giants in the tiebreaker.
“We finished the first half of the season on the same level as the top clubs,” said Girona coach Michel Sanchez. “Our fans are proud of what we have accomplished so far.”
The match against Atlético should help Girona find out whether they have what it takes to continue competing at the top.
Girona faced their first major challenge of the season, losing 3-0 at home to Madrid in September, but bounced back and showed their strength with a comfortable 4-2 win against Barcelona in December.
Since losing to Madrid, Girona have remained unbeaten in 12 games in all competitions, drawing with fifth-placed Athletic Bilbao in November, and winning against Real Betis in their last game of the year until conceding a goal in the 88th minute. . equalizer.
Michel’s side have won 14 of 18 games and have the best attacking team in the league with 42 goals, three more than Madrid’s high-profile attack.
The France international now has a second chance to break his record after failing to score against Sevilla on December 23rd.
Atlético played only two of their five league games in December, including a loss against Barcelona and a 3-3 draw against Getafe, ending their home winning streak at 20, which is a club record in all competitions. I couldn’t win.
Diego Simeone’s side trail leaders Madrid and Girona by seven points.
Vinicius has not played since November, when he injured a muscle in his foot while playing for Brazil in a World Cup qualifier.
Vinicius said: “I’m fine, I’m doing very well.” “Now it’s up to the coach to decide if I want to play or not.”
Defender Dani Carvajal and midfielders Eduardo Camavinga and Arda Güler are also among the players who could return from injury after manager Carlo Ancelotti renewed his contract with the club until 2026 last week.
Madrid started the year without several key players due to knee ligament injuries, including goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and defenders David Alaba and Eder Militao.
Madrid have remained unbeaten in 17 competitive games since losing 3-1 to Atlético in the league in September. They have drawn three times since then.
The Catalan club only won two of their six games, including their last game of the year, a friendly loss to Mexico’s Club América in the United States.
They lost to Girona in the Spanish League and to Antwerp in the Champions League. Their last win came in a hard-fought home battle against league-bottom Almeria, but Xavi Hernández’s side were criticized for another poor performance.
In other matches, Bilbao face struggling Sevilla on Thursday, while relegation-threatened Celta Vigo host seventh-placed Real Betis on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, sixth-place Real Sociedad host Alaves, while Villarreal visit mid-table Valencia.
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AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer