Preview: Girona vs Atletico Madrid - prediction, team news, lineups

Atletico Madrid will be aiming to make it four straight wins in all competitions when they continue their La Liga campaign away to Girona on Sunday afternoon.

Diego Simeone's side are fourth in the La Liga table, nine points behind the leaders Barcelona, while Girona are 18th, only picking up 15 points from their first 16 matches.

Match preview

Girona have a record of three wins, six draws and seven defeats from their 16 La Liga matches this season, with a total of 15 points leaving them in 18th spot in the table.

The Catalan outfit were knocked out of the Copa del Rey in the previous round, so they have had a free week to prepare for this match, having not been in action since recording a 2-1 victory over Real Sociedad in La Liga on December 12.

Head coach Michel will be demanding the same level of performance in this match, and Girona have been relatively solid at home this season, picking up 11 points from their eight matches in front of their own supporters.

The White and Reds have only faced Atletico on 12 previous occasions and have recorded just one win - a 4-3 success on home soil in January 2024.

Atletico recorded two convincing wins in their league encounters last season, recording a 3-0 victory at Wanda Metropolitano and a 4-0 success at Estadi Montilivi.

Atletico, meanwhile, will enter this match off the back of a 3-2 success over Baleares on Wednesday, with the Red and Whites booking their spot in the last-16 stage of the Copa del Rey.

Simeone's side beat Valencia 2-1 in La Liga last weekend, meanwhile, with the capital outfit managing to recover from a surprise defeat at Athletic Bilbao on December 6.

Atletico have a record of 10 wins, four draws and three defeats from their 17 league matches this season, with 34 points leaving them in fourth spot in the division.

The Red and Whites are five points behind second-placed Real Madrid and nine from the leaders Barcelona, so a win is required here if they are to stay in touch at the summit.

Atletico are also in a solid position in the overall Champions League table, sitting eighth, which would be enough to book their spot in the knockout round of the tournament.

Girona La Liga form:

LWDDLW

Girona form (all competitions):

WDDLLW

Atletico Madrid La Liga form:

WWWLLW

Atletico Madrid form (all competitions):

WLLWWW

Team News

Girona have a lengthy injury list, with Donny van de Beek, Cristhian Stuani, Portu, Abel Ruiz, Juan Carlos, Ricard Artero, David Lopez and Vladyslav Krapyvtsov on the sidelines.

Azzedine Ounahi is also absent due to his involvement in the Africa Cup of Nations, so there will be a spot open in the final third of the field this weekend.

Thomas Lemar could be the player to benefit, with the Frenchman in line for a spot in the side, while Vladyslav Vanat is in line to feature as the centre-forward.

As for Atletico, Marcos Llorente, Alex Baena and Jose Gimenez all face late fitness tests ahead of the clash with Girona, with the trio doubts at this stage.

There are not expected to be any surprises when it comes to the away side's lineup for this match, with Alexander Sorloth again in line to feature alongside Julian Alvarez despite the fact that Antoine Griezmann hit a brace in the Copa del Rey last time out.

Koke was a standout performer against Valencia in the league last weekend, and the veteran will continue in the middle, while there should be another spot at centre-back for Marc Pubill.

Girona possible starting lineup:

Gazzaniga; Martinez, Reis, Blind, Moreno; Witsel, Martin; Tsygankov, Lemar, Gil; Vanat

Atletico Madrid possible starting lineup:

Oblak; Molina, Pubill, Hancko, Ruggeri; Simeone, Barrios, Koke, Gonzalez; Sorloth, Alvarez

We say: Girona 0-1 Atletico Madrid

Girona were excellent against Real Sociedad last time out, but Atletico are a different proposition completely, and we are expecting the visitors to secure a narrow victory in their final match of 2025.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.