Preview: Ourense CF vs Girona - prediction, team news, lineups

After taking a point off Real Madrid at the weekend, Girona will now turn their focus to the Copa del Rey for Wednesday's clash with Ourense CF.

The third-tier side will be looking to pull off an upset, while the top-flight visitors are hoping to avoid a second consecutive round two exit.

Match preview

Ourense will aim to replicate their run from last season's competition, when they beat second-tier Deportivo La Coruna and Real Valladolid, who were a top-flight team at the time, to reach the last 16 of the Copa del Rey.

The third-tier side have already beaten one La Liga side in dramatic fashion to kick off their latest cup adventure.

Aymane Jelbat netted a stoppage-time equaliser to rescue a 2-2 draw against Real Oviedo, sending the first-round tie to extra time, where Omar Ouhdadi and Amin Bouzaig got on the scoresheet to seal a 4-2 victory.

That impressive result has helped Ourense form an eight-game unbeaten run in all competitions, with their last defeat taking place against Real Madrid B on October 19.

In fact, they will head into Wednesday's cup tie on the back of three consecutive league victories, including a dramatic 4-3 win over 10-man Unionistas at the weekend, which saw Hugo Sanz net a 99th-minute equaliser and a 102nd-minute winner.

That win represented their fifth successive home victory in all competitions, and having scored at least three goals in their last three home matches, they may fancy their chances of troubling their La Liga opponents on Wednesday.

Girona, meanwhile, will be hoping for a much simpler outing than their nervy first-round tie against Constancia in October.

The Catalan outfit required extra time to dispatch their fifth-tier opponents via a 3-2 scoreline, so they will be fully aware that Wednesday's fixture is far from a foregone conclusion.

Girona should at least carry some momentum into the second-round tie after putting together a three-game unbeaten run in La Liga.

Michel's side beat Alaves 1-0 and drew 1-1 with Real Betis, before they repeated that scoreline in Sunday's hard-fought draw against Real Madrid.

Azzedine Ounahi saw his first-half effort cancelled out by Kylian Mbappe's 67th-minute penalty, but while they were unable to claim a surprise win, they held firm for the remainder of the contest to claim a useful point in their La Liga survival bid, even though they remain in the drop zone on goal difference.

As they turn their focus to the Copa del Rey, Girona will be wary that they are at risk of suffering a second-round exit for the second successive campaign after losing on penalties to UD Logrones at this stage last season.

Ourense CF Copa del Rey form:

Ourense CF form (all competitons):

W W D W W W

Girona Copa del Rey form:

Girona form (all competitions):

D W L W D D

Team News

Oursense defender Miguel Prado is set to return to the squad after missing Saturday's win over Unionistas through suspension.

The 26-year-old could feature in the back four with Fran Carmona, Jelbat and Sanz.

At the opposite end of the pitch, Bouzaig is set to be given the nod as the main striker, although Dani Llacer does also have the option of using Juan Piera or Kensly Vazquez.

As for the visitors, their lengthy injury list features Juan Carlos, Ricard Artero, Donny Van de Beek, Christian Stuani, Portu and Vladyslav Krapyvtsov.

They are also likely to be without David Lopez, Daley Blind, John Solis and Thomas Lemar due to injury.

Michel is expected to rotate his side for the cup tie, with Alejandro Frances, Papa Ba, Lass Kourouma and Yaser Asprilla among those who could start on Wednesday.

Ourense CF possible starting lineup:

Raton; Prado, Carmona, Jelbat, Sanz; Ramos, Moreno; Guerrero, Castillo, Ouhdadi; Bouzaig

Girona possible starting lineup:

Livakovic; Jordana, Frances, Reis, Moreno; Martin, Kourouma; Ba, Asprilla, Roca; Ruiz

We say: Ourense CF 1-2 Girona

Ourense proved in their first-round win over Oviedo that they have the ability to trouble top-flight opposition.

With that in mind, we think that it could be a tricky evening for Girona, although we still believe that the visitors will do just enough to advance to the next round.