Preview: Athletic Bilbao vs. Girona – La Liga Matchup on Tuesday

Athletic Bilbao aims to halt a streak of three defeats as they face Girona at San Mames this Tuesday. Meanwhile, Girona is desperate for their inaugural La Liga victory of the season, having managed just one point from their first five matches.

Match Insights

Athletic started the season strong with three wins against Sevilla, Rayo Vallecano, and Real Betis, finishing fourth last year. However, injury to Nico Williams has correlated with a decline in their performance, resulting in three consecutive losses, including a 1-0 defeat to Alaves and a 2-0 loss against Arsenal in the Champions League. Their latest match saw them lose 2-0 to Valencia after Dani Vivian received a red card, affecting the outcome.

Despite their recent struggles, Athletic is favored to secure a win against a struggling Girona side, having won four out of five previous home encounters in La Liga, including a 3-0 triumph in last season’s meeting.

Girona, having narrowly avoided relegation last season, now finds themselves near the bottom of the table, suffering four losses in their initial five matches. They endured a 3-0 loss to Levante that saw Axel Witsel and Vitor Reis sent off, leaving them under pressure to turn their fortunes around.

Team Updates

Athletic is missing injured players Benat Prados and Unai Egiluz, while Alex Padilla is serving a suspension. New recruit Aymeric Laporte is set to debut, with Nico Williams likely unavailable due to injury.

For Girona, they will be without Juan Carlos, David Lopez, Ricard Artero, and Thomas Lemar, and Joel Roca is representing Spain at the Under-20 World Cup. Witsel and Reis will also be unavailable due to suspensions.

Expected Starting Lineups

Athletic Bilbao: Simon; Gorosabel, Paredes, Laporte, Berchiche; Vesga, Jauregizar; I. Williams, Gomez, Berenguer; Guruzeta
Girona: Gazzaniga; Martinez, Frances, Blind, Moreno; Martin, Solis, Ounahi; Asprilla, Gil, Vanat

Prediction: Athletic Bilbao 2-0 Girona

Although Athletic has struggled to score recently, this match presents a favorable chance to break their scoring drought against a Girona team that has conceded 15 goals in their opening games. We anticipate the home team to claim a relatively easy victory, extending Girona’s search for their first win of the season.



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