Sevilla vs Girona

Out-of-sorts Sevilla will be desperate to get off the mark in the 2023/24 La Liga season when they entertain Girona at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.

It looks like last season’s underwhelming 12th-place La Liga finish, their worst in the new millennium, failed to give Sevilla a much-needed awakening. Despite leading ‘Los Rojiblancos’ to a record-extending 7th Europa League title last term, Jose Luis Mendilibar finds himself under pressure after overseeing back-to-back defeats at the start of the new La Liga campaign. While they could be forgiven for going down 2-1 to Valencia on the opening weekend, a 4-3 defeat at newly-promoted Deportivo Alaves earlier this week raised more than a few eyebrows. Staring down the barrel of a three-game losing start to a new top-flight season for the first time in the 21st century, Sevilla will turn to their narrowly positive all-time top-flight H2H home record against Girona for inspiration (W2, L1).

Each of those three meetings saw the winner keep a clean sheet in matches garnering under 2.5 goals, a scenario that could benefit visiting Girona. Following a nail-biting 1-1 draw at Real Sociedad in their La Liga curtain-raiser, ‘Los Blanquivermells’ ran riot against perennial relegation fighters Getafe last time out, steamrolling to a 3-0 home win. Michel’s attacking set-up sparks to life after the break, with three of Girona’s four league goals this season coming in the second half. The visitors wouldn’t mind waiting for another dramatic finish if it can help them arrest a four-game winless league run away from home (D2, L2). But since each of those four matches saw both teams on the scoresheet, the pressure will be on Michel’s backline to step up to the plate.