Girona vs Espanyol Predictions

After a dramatic round of fixtures in midweek, La Liga is back for match-day 31 this weekend and the action kicks off with a Catalan derby between Girona and Espanyol. Just one point separates the two sides heading into this match. Both clubs could do with another win or two to ensure they are playing top flight football again next season.

Girona head into this game following back-to-back defeats against Athletic Bilbao and Atletico Madrid. They are only five points above the drop-zone now so they’ve got to be a little bit careful although a win here would really ease the pressure. Including this one, their next four games are all against bottom eight clubs so it’s a critical phase in their season coming up and they could desperately do with improving their poor home record.

Espanyol will also be looking over their shoulder somewhat having taken just 2 points from their last 4 games. They have had some tricky fixtures to be fair with all of their last four against top eight sides. The start of their decline from an excellent start this season can be loosely traced back to a 3-1 home loss to Girona in November and they’ll be hoping to avoid losing a Catalan derby for the second straight Saturday here.

It’s quite hard to fancy either team for the win. Girona have won just 2 of their last 19 home league games in a really dreadful run that stretches back to this time last year. Playing at Montilivi has offered them no real advantage at all and their hopes here are further hindered by injury concerns over key men Bono and Cristhian Stuani. They are hugely dependent on the latter who has scored over 50% of their league goals this term.

Espanyol don’t exactly look like a team that is ready to take full advantage though. They’ve only won one away league game this term and that was against bottom club Huesca way back in October. Since then, they’ve played 13 times on the road in all competitions, drawing 6 and losing 7. Their star striker Borja Iglesias is at least fit and did score in midweek as Espanyol drew 1-1 at home to Getafe.

Overall backing the Draw certainly looks like the best bet in the Full-Time Result market with little to no reason to see either team coming out on top here. It’s a result that might just suit both coaches as they look to edge their teams towards safety.