Preview: Espanyol vs Girona - prediction, team news, lineups

Espanyol will be aiming to return to winning ways in Spain's top flight when they tackle a revitalised Girona at RCDE Stadium on Friday evening.

The hosts are currently fifth in the La Liga table, four points behind fourth-placed Atletico Madrid, while the visitors' recent revival has moved them up into 13th spot in the division.

Match preview

Espanyol have enjoyed an excellent campaign to date, boasting a record of 10 wins, four draws and five defeats from their 19 matches to collect 34 points, which has left them fifth in the table.

The Catalan outfit won five straight matches in La Liga between November 24 and December 22, but they have only picked up one point from their two matches in 2026, losing to Barcelona in the Catalan derby before drawing 1-1 with struggling Levante last time out.

Manolo Gonzalez's side have won six of their 10 home league matches this season, and they will be welcoming a Girona outfit that have just two away successes to their name.

Espanyol finished 14th in Spain's top flight last term, so there was plenty of room for improvement in 2025-26, but the team have certainly performed above expectations.

The White and Blues have faced Catalan rivals Girona on 13 previous occasions, boasting a record of three wins, four draws and six defeats.

Both La Liga matches between the two sides last season finished level, while Girona are unbeaten against Espanyol since April 2019 - a run of seven matches.

Girona have had their issues this season, but Michel's side will enter this game off the back of successive wins, beating Mallorca 2-1 on January 4 and Osasuna 1-0 on January 10.

The Catalan side have actually been victorious in three of their last four in the league, which has seen them rise into 13th spot in the table, now four points clear of the relegation zone.

The White and Reds are only three points behind eighth-placed Athletic Bilbao, which is an indication of how quickly a team's situation can change with a solid run of form.

Girona finished 16th in La Liga last season, only one point above the relegation zone, but they incredibly managed to claim third in 2023-24, which secured Champions League football.

Espanyol La Liga form:

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Espanyol form (all competitions):

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Girona La Liga form:

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Girona form (all competitions):

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Team News

Espanyol's squad will be boosted by the return of Pol Lozano, with the midfielder available once again after serving a suspension against Levante last time out.

Head coach Gonzalez is expected to have a fully-fit squad, and there are set to be changes to the side that started last time out, including returns to the XI for Roberto Fernandez and Roman Terrats.

Javi Puado continued his recovery from a long-term knee injury off the bench against Levante, and the attacker is set to receive more minutes as a substitute this weekend.

As for Girona, Juan Carlos, Ricard Artero, Portu, Abel Ruiz, Azzedine Ounahi and Donny van de Beek remain on the sidelines due to injury problems.

The visitors will also be without the services of Lass Kourouma, with the 21-year-old sent off in the final stages of the contest with Osasuna last time out.

Head coach Michel could name an unchanged side from the one that started against Osasuna, including a spot in midfield for the experienced Thomas Lemar.

Espanyol possible starting lineup:

Dmitrovic; El Hilali, Calero, Cabrera, Romero; Terrats, Exposito, Lozano, Dolan; Fernandez, Milla

Girona possible starting lineup:

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

We say: Espanyol 2-1 Girona

This has all of the makings of a very interesting match, and we are expecting Girona to be competitive on Friday. However, Espanyol's home record this season could be crucial, and we fancy Gonzalez's side to navigate their way to another three points.

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