Comments and predictions for Girona vs Athletic Bilbao: A mind-boggling match

Looking to end a six-game winless run in all competitions, Girona will resume their 2024-25 La Liga campaign with a home game against Athletic Bilbao on Sunday afternoon.

The Catalans have struggled this season after a stellar 2023-24 campaign, currently sitting in 12th place in the table, while Athletic are fifth, with 14 points from their opening eight games.

Latest Girona vs Athletic Bilbao team information

Girona will be without five players through injury, including Viktor Tsygankov, Daley Blind, Oriol Romeu, Jastin Garcia and Ricard Artero, who are all unavailable.

Coach Michel is set to make a number of changes to the starting line-up against Feyenoord, with Arnaut Danjuma, Portu and Cristhian Stuani likely to come into the side up front.

Donny van de Beek scored against Feyenoord and is likely to keep his place in the starting XI on Sunday, while Blind's absence will allow David Lopez to continue in central defence.

For Athletic, Benat Prados, Yeray Alvarez and Unai Simon will be absent due to injury, while Julen Agirrezabala will miss the match due to a red card against Sevilla.

So third-choice goalkeeper Alex Padilla will start, while Oscar de Marcos and Alex Berenguer are expected to return to the starting line-up after the Europa League clash with AZ.

Nico Williams set up his brother Inaki Williams for a goal in the European game, and both Williams brothers will once again be in the starting line-up for Sunday afternoon's exciting La Liga clash.

Latest expected lineup Girona vs Athletic Bilbao

Girona:

Gazzaniga; Frances, D Lopez, Krejci, Gutierrez; Martin, Van de Beek, Herrera; Portu, Stuani, Danjuma

Athletic Bilbao:

Padilla; De Marcos, U Lopez, Paredes, Lekue; Jauregizar, Vesga; N Williams, Sancet, Berenguer; I Williams

Latest football prediction Girona vs Athletic Bilbao

Girona had an impressive 2023-24 season, finishing third in the Spanish top flight, and they were always going to struggle to replicate that success this season, especially with the pressure of Champions League football.

The red-and-whites have lost both of their Champions League games this season against Paris Saint-Germain and Feyenoord, while they are winless in their last four La Liga games, losing to Barcelona and Athletic before drawing with Rayo Vallecano and Celta Vigo in short order.

Under Michel's guidance, Girona currently sits 12th in the table, with two wins, three draws and three losses in eight games, earning nine points, seven points off the top four.

Girona have picked up four points from three home games in the league, and a win on Sunday would certainly leave everyone at the club feeling better ahead of the international break.

The Catalan side have taken just one point from their two La Liga games against Athletic in the 2023-24 season, including a 1-1 draw in the respective fixture.

Athletic Bilbao also have European commitments this season, with the Lions taking part in the Europa League, and they will go into this game on the back of a 2-0 win over AZ, picking up four points from their first two games, leaving them in 11th place in the table.

Ernesto Valverde's side are unbeaten in their last six games in all competitions, including their last four in La Liga, with wins over Las Palmas, Leganes and Celta Vigo, before drawing 1-1 with Sevilla in their last outing.

The Basque side have a record of four wins, two draws and two losses from eight La Liga games this season, currently sitting fifth with 14 points.

Athletic are just two points behind fourth-placed Atletico Madrid and will be hoping to be in the race for a Champions League place this season, but it remains to be seen how they will balance domestic and European fixtures if they progress deep into the Europa League.

The Lions beat Girona 3-2 when the two sides last met in February 2024, and they also have a recent away win against their opponents, recording a 2-1 win in March 2019. This will be a tough game for both teams coming off European fixtures; Athletic are certainly in better form, but Girona are also a strong side at home, and we predict that the points will be shared on Sunday afternoon, something both managers would be happy to accept if suggested before kick-off.

Score prediction Girona vs Athletic Bilbao

Based on the above football comments, we and the world's leading football sites have given the following results for the match Girona vs Athletic Bilbao :

• Sportsmole: Girona 1-1 Athletic Bilbao

• WhoScore: Girona 0-1 Athletic Bilbao
• Our prediction: Girona 2-2 Athletic Bilbao

When and where to watch Girona vs Athletic Bilbao live?

To watch the live match Girona vs Athletic Bilbao in La Liga taking place at 19:00 on October 6, viewers can watch on K+ Sport, K+PM or online sports channels. Wish you all have fun watching football.

Source: https://baodaknong.vn/nhan-dinh-du-doan-girona-vs-athletic-bilbao-tung-don-can-nao-231024.html