Champions League | League Stage

Oct 22, 2024 at 8pm UK

Estadi Municipal de Montilivi

Girona vs Slovan Bratislava

Match preview

After Paulo Gazzaniga's own goal cost them a point against Paris Saint-Germain on their Champions League debut, Girona then had a disappointing start to their first home fixture in Europe's top club competition earlier this month.

Michel's team lost 3-2 to Feyenoord at Estadio Montilivi. A couple of missed penalties and own goals decided an eventful match. Yangel Herrera and Ladislav Krejci both put the ball into their own net, while Gazzaniga stopped a spot kick at one end and Bojan Miovski missed one at the other.

Girona have already scored three own goals in two games, which is joint-most ever by one team in a single season. They could become the first Spanish side to suffer defeats in each of their first three Champions League matches.

In La Liga, the Catalan club aren't doing much better, with 12 points from their first 10 games and a 13th-place ranking.

After losing 1-0 at home to Real Sociedad on Saturday, they've only won one of their last eight games across all competitions and just three in 12 so far this season.

All of which means that last term's heroics are now in the past. Michel will be keen to get back on track by winning Girona's first-ever meeting with their next opponents.

Slovan Bratislava haven't won any of their last six games against Spanish sides. The last time they beat a Spanish team was in 1969, when they won the Cup Winners' Cup final against Barcelona 2-1. That was their only major European triumph to date.

More recently, after getting through the qualifying rounds, the Slovakian side started their current Champions League campaign with a 5-1 defeat at Celtic, followed by another four-goal loss a couple of weeks later.

Manager Vladimir Weiss, who's in his second spell at the club, saw Slovan lose 4-0 to Premier League champions Manchester City last time out. They conceded twice either side of the break.

They've lost all five of their last UEFA group or knockout games, conceding 16 goals and only scoring three. Their recent data shows it'll be tough for them to claim one of the playoff places in this year's league phase.

Slovan have faced 33 more shots than they've attempted in their first two fixtures, which is the worst shot difference of any team. Only Sparta Prague have a lower possession average than their modest share of 31%.

They haven't shown much of an attacking threat either. Austrian defender Kevin Wimmer, who scored at Celtic Park, is one of only two players to have taken a shot on target so far, along with veteran midfielder Juraj Kucka.

Back in the Slovak First League, the Sky Blues beat Spartak Trnava 1-0 in a derby match at the weekend, keeping their top spot in the table. They've only lost three times in 22 games this season, but they've conceded four or more goals on each occasion.

Recent Performance

Girona Champions League form:LL

Girona form (all competitions):LDDLWL

Slovan Bratislava Champions League form:WDDWLL

Slovan Bratislava form (all competitions):WWWLDW

Injuries and suspensions

Girona

22 Jhon Solís

8 Viktor Tsygankov

Slovan Bratislava

33 Juraj Kucka

-- Adler

Possible starting lineups

Girona possible starting lineup:

Gazzaniga; A. Martinez, D. Lopez, Krejci, Gutierrez; Martin, Herrera, Solis; Van de Beek, Danjuma; Ruiz

Slovan Bratislava possible starting lineup:

Takac; Blackman, Kashia, Wimmer, Sharani; Bajric, Savvidis; Barseghyan, Tolic, Weiss Jr; Strelec