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

Staring down the barrel of relegation with one match to play, Girona’s La Liga survival will be decided on Saturday evening when they face a fellow struggler in Elche at the Municipal de Montilivi in the final round of the season.

Both clubs arrive knowing that nothing less than a victory will do, with the two sides separated by just two points in the bottom half of the table heading into Matchday 38.

Match preview

It has been a gruelling campaign for Girona, who sit 18th in La Liga with 40 points from 37 fixtures - a tally built on nine wins, 13 draws and 15 defeats, and a goal record of 38 scored and 54 conceded.

At the Municipal de Montilivi, Michel’s side have managed 23 points from six wins, five draws and seven defeats, which underlines a mixed picture on home soil and offers little to suggest a routine victory is guaranteed on Saturday.

The hosts have not won in their last seven matches, with their most recent victory coming against Villarreal - a 1-0 home win settled by an own goal from Pau Navarro, and their last five league outings have produced two draws and three defeats.

The most recent of those came in a 1-0 defeat away at Atletico Madrid, continuing a run that has left the Blanquivermells with everything to do on the final day.

Michel’s side have attempted to find stability through pragmatic setups built on organisation and positional discipline, yet results have not followed, and the numbers tell a story that is not significantly better than last season, when they survived on 41 points by the narrowest of margins.

A home victory on Saturday would go a very long way to securing their top-flight status, and with their fate entirely in their own hands, Girona have every incentive to produce their best performance of a difficult second half of the season.

Elche arrive marginally more comfortable in the relegation picture, sitting 17th on 42 points from 10 wins, 12 draws and 15 defeats, and a goal record of 48 scored and 56 conceded.

It has been a rollercoaster campaign for Eder Sarabia’s side, who began the season with genuine promise - dominating possession, remaining organised in defence and briefly looking like candidates for a European push before a winless run through January and February dragged them back towards the drop zone.

With just two points separating them from their hosts, Elche know a point could yet be enough depending on results elsewhere, though with La Liga’s head-to-head tiebreaker adding layers of complexity to the permutations, winning remains the clearest route to safety.

Their away record, however, is the worst in the division - one win, four draws and 13 defeats on the road, and that vulnerability will give Girona genuine reason for confidence on Saturday.

Elche do arrive on the back of a 1-0 home win against Getafe, and Sarabia’s side have scored in each of their last seven matches, an attacking consistency that has kept them competitive in a number of tight encounters this season.

In the most recent head-to-head, Elche recorded a 3-0 home victory over Girona, and across the last five meetings between the two clubs, Girona have won three times to Elche’s two, with no draws.

Girona La Liga form:

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Elche La Liga form:

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Team News

Vladyslav Vanat remains sidelined for Girona with the hamstring injury he sustained in April and will play no part on Saturday.

Marc Ter Stegen, on loan from Barcelona, has been out of action since February and managed just two appearances this season, leaving Paulo Gazzaniga to continue between the sticks.

Portu has been absent since November with a cruciate ligament injury and will not feature, having made only 10 appearances in the campaign.

Elche will be without manager Eder Sarabia on the touchline on Saturday, with the coach suspended after being charged with allegedly insulting the referee following the match against Real Betis.

Yago Santiago is out with a knee injury, while Adam Bouyar is also unavailable with a muscle complaint.

Andre Silva and Alvaro Rodriguez are expected to lead the Elche attack once again as they push for survival.

Girona possible starting lineup:

Gazzaniga; Martinez, Frances, Reis, Moreno; Martin, Witsel, Ounahi; Gil, Tsygankov, Roca

Elche possible starting lineup:

Dituro; Bigas, Affengruber, Chust; Valera, Villar, Aguado, Diangana, Morente; Rodriguez, Silva

We say: Girona 2-1 Elche

Seven matches without a win is a damning run, but Girona have the most compelling motivation on Saturday, and the Municipal de Montilivi has proven to be a far sturdier fortress than their away form suggests.

Elche’s travelling record - the worst in the division arrives at the worst possible moment for Sarabia’s side, and with their manager watching from the stands rather than directing from the touchline, the disruption could prove costly in a match where margins are razor-thin.

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

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