Barcelona will be looking to return to the summit of La Liga when they host regional rivals Girona, a side just hoping to escape the relegation zone.
Match News and Current Form
With their unexpected and humiliating 4-1 loss away to Sevilla, Barcelona experienced back-to-back competitive defeats for the first time in 2025. The last occurrence came just before the Christmas break of 2024, and they used that reset to go on a remarkable 24-game unbeaten run (W20, D4) across four different tournaments. The October international break probably came at a good time for Hansi Flick, who has reportedly reconsidered his tactical approach in that time. They may also be pleased to ease back into action in their own city, having won all three La Liga games at their two temporary home venues so far.
Girona may be hoping that the international break hasn’t starved them of any potential momentum to be gained from their drought-ending win over Valencia (2-1) last month. It took a lot of pressure off under-fire manager Míchel, who praised his players for “fighting with their hearts” and breaking through for their first 2+ goal haul of this league season. They now have the opportunity to build upon that victory and their previous La Liga away trip, in which they took a point home from Athletic Club (D 1-1) as big outsiders.
Head-to-Head History
Barcelona won both H2Hs last season by a 4-1 margin after Girona won both 4-2 the season prior! Overall, the Spanish giants have won only two of their five competitive games at home to Girona (D2, L1).
Hot Stats and Streaks
Barcelona have opened the scoring in only three of their six La Liga wins this season.
Barcelona have scored 3+ goals in six of their last seven La Liga victories.
The pre-match favourite has won only two of Girona’s eight games this league season (D3, L3).
Girona have lost their last 11 league games in which they conceded the first goal, starting in March against Barcelona.
Key Players to Watch and Missing Players
Marcus Rashford could reportedly be the focal point of Flick’s new strategy and has earned his chance after scoring or assisting in each of his last seven club games. Girona’s last opening goal came through Vladyslav Vanat, who has won 31 of the last 36 club matches in which he scored (D5).
Joan García, Fermín López and Dani Olmo are all out or in doubt for Barcelona, but Lamine Yamal and Raphinha could return via the bench. Alejandro Frances was sent off in Girona’s last game and is also set to miss 4-6 weeks with a fresh ankle injury.
For all the latest team news, please check the Flashscore match centre.
Betting Analysis
Barcelona look vulnerable considering their form and injuries, but when they win, they tend to win big, so over 2.5 goals might be a safer option.
Author: Aaron Murphy