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

Girona's bid to escape the La Liga relegation zone will continue on Sunday, with the Catalan outfit heading to the Estadio Martínez Valero to tackle Elche.

The visitors are currently 18th in the La Liga table, picking up 12 points from their opening 14 matches, while the hosts are 11th, claiming 16 points from their first 14 games.

Match preview

Elche have a record of three wins, seven draws and four defeats from their 14 league matches this season, with 16 points leaving them in 11th spot in the division.

The Green-striped ones finished second in the Segunda Division last season to secure a return to the top flight, and their main focus for this term will be to avoid relegation, so it has been a successful campaign to date by that metric.

Elche were in Copa del Rey action on Wednesday night, securing their spot in the third round of the competition courtesy of a 2-1 success over Quintanar del Rey.

Eder Sarabia's side were beaten by Getafe in La Liga last time out, though, and they have not actually been victorious in the league since the end of September.

The promoted outfit are unbeaten at home in the league this term, though, winning three and drawing four of their seven matches, while Girona are yet to triumph on their travels.

Girona were also in Copa del Rey action on Wednesday night, and they were stunned by third-tier outfit Ourense CF, suffering a 2-1 defeat to exit the competition in the second round.

The Catalan outfit therefore only have the league to focus on for the remainder of the campaign, and they picked up an excellent result in Spain's top flight last time out, holding title hopefuls Real Madrid to a 1-1 draw.

Michel's side have quietly put together a three-game unbeaten run in La Liga, beating Alaves on November 8 before drawing with Real Betis and Real Madrid.

However, a difficult campaign to date has left Girona down in 18th spot in the division, picking up only 12 points from their 14 matches.

The Catalan side have only triumphed in five of their previous 21 matches against Elche, but they are actually on a three-game winning run in this fixture, including a 2-0 success when the pair last locked horns in the Copa del Rey in January 2024.

Elche La Liga form:

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Elche 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

Elche have a fully-fit squad for this weekend's contest, so head coach Sarabia has some difficult decisions to make when it comes to team selection.

There are unlikely to be any surprises in the final third of the field, though, with Rafa Mir and Andre Silva, who have eight goals between them this term, set to start.

Aleix Febas has also been a standout performer for the promoted outfit this season, and there will be another position in central midfield for the 29-year-old.

As for Girona, a lengthy injury list includes Juan Carlos, Donny van de Beek, Portu, Vladyslav Krapyvtsov, Abel Ruiz and Cristhian Stuani.

Meanwhile, Thomas Lemar and David Lopez face late fitness tests, so the visitors could be without the services of as many as eight players on Sunday.

Vladyslav Vanat has come up with three league goals for Girona since his arrival over the summer, and there will be another spot in the final third of the field for the 23-year-old.

Elche possible starting lineup:

Pena; Petrot, Affengruber, Nunez; Fort, Neto, Febas, Aguado, Valera; Silva, Mir

Girona possible starting lineup:

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

We say: Elche 1-0 Girona

Elche have been strong in front of their own fans this season, while Girona have struggled on their travels, so we are finding it difficult to predict anything other than a home success this weekend.

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