After both losing their first game of the La Liga season, Girona and Getafe will square off in the second round of fixtures today.
The hosts were beaten 1-0 by Valencia on the opening day after their promotion from the second tier, while their visitors were comfortably beaten by Atletico Madrid.
Match preview
In their third consecutive season in Spain’s second tier, Girona set their sights on winning promotion back to La Liga last term, and they were just able to hold onto a playoff place on the final day.
After progressing past Eibar in the semi-final, the Blanquivermells took on Tenerife in a two-legged final, and, following a goalless draw on home turf, they would seal their promotion with a 3-1 away win thanks to goals from Cristhian Stuani and Arnau Martinez, either side of a Jose Leon own goal.
On their return to the top flight, Michel’s side began with a trip to Valencia, and they left empty-handed as Carlos Soler fired the hosts to a 1-0 win from the penalty spot, with Girona unable to level the game despite playing the last 40 minutes against 10 men after Eray Comert’s red card.
On the back of that disappointment, the Blanquivermells will aim to bounce back on Monday and claim their first points of the season at the second attempt.
They take on a Getafe side who also lost in the first round of fixtures after avoiding relegation last season.
The Azulones endured a dismal start, with just three points from their opening 11 league outings, but Quique Sanchez Flores would eventually steer them to safety and a 15th-placed finish with 39 points.
Turning their attention to the new campaign with the hopes of a more comfortable showing this time around, they were handed a tough start at home to Atletico Madrid and were condemned to a 3-0 defeat.
Alvaro Morata put their visitors ahead in the 15th minute and hit his and the team’s second on the hour mark, before Antoine Griezmann capped off a dominant display with a 75th-minute goal.
In their hope to avoid being cut adrift from the early stages like last season, the Azulones will be desperate to put their first points on the board on Monday.
Team News
Girona remain without Borja Garcia and Ibrahima Kebe due to injuries, while Ivan Martin is unlikely to come back in time to feature from the outset.
Cristhian Stuani, who helped to win promotion with 24 league goals last season, will be vying to come into the starting XI, after he only featured off the bench last time out.
He faces stiff competition, though, as summer signing Valentin Castellanos was preferred in the opener with Samuel Saiz and Rodrigo Riquelme offering further threat going forward.
Getafe’s only expected absentees are Damian Suarez and Luis Milla, and Quique Sanchez Flores may opt to make some alterations after their heavy opening-day defeat.
The front line is unlikely to be changed, after Borja Mayoral’s loan move was made permanent over the summer, with the 25-year-old again set to partner star man Enes Unal, who played a key role in their survival last term with 16 La Liga goals.
Portu will be vying for a start, after joining on loan from Real Sociedad and featuring off the bench against Atletico Madrid, while Jaime Mata and Jaime Seoane are also among those hoping to come in from the outset.
Girona possible starting lineup:
Martin; Lopez, Juanpe, Bueno; Herrera, Garcia, Terats, Urena; Riquelme; Stuani, Castellanos
Getafe possible starting lineup:
Soria; Djene, Mitrovic, Duarte, Angileri; Portu, Maksimovic, Arambarri, Alena; Unal, Mayoral