Real Madrid are set to take on Girona on Sunday, 23 February in another huge match for the hosts as the La Liga title race heats up.
Los Blancos saw their grip on the league title loosen last week when they drew away to Osasuna and will be looking to get back on track at the Bernabeu on Sunday.
Girona, meanwhile, are languishing in midtable after suffering a fall from grace this season. What they can recover from the season remains to be seen.
How the bookies view it: Girona are massive underdogs
It's very rare that Real Madrid aren't big favourites for a match at the Bernabeu and that is the case again this weekend. BoyleSports have priced a home win as short as 1/4 while a win for Girona has been priced at 13/2. The draw, which would be a fantastic result for the visitors and a damaging one for the hosts, has been priced at 9/2.
Recent head-to-head: Real Madrid dominance
Real Madrid have enjoyed themselves against Girona in recent times with Los Blancos winning each of the last three meetings between the two sides. Girona's last win over Real Madrid came in April 2023 while their last win at the Bernabeu came all the way back in February 2019.
Players to watch: A front three that is clicking into top gear
For much of the campaign, Real Madrid's all-star front three of Rodrygo, Vinicius Jr and Kylian Mbappe have looked disjointed and awkward but recent signs suggest that the trio are now beginning to get on the same page.
Mbappe, the undoubted star of the team, put on a breathtaking display on Wednesday night to knock Manchester City out of the Champions League. The mercurial Frenchman scored a stunning hat-trick with the second goal coming via a pass from Rodrygo, who was initially played in by Vinicius Jr.
One thing is for certain, though, neither Rodrygo nor Vinicius will be happy simply being the supporting cast and egos will still come into play. On the back of Mbappe's special night on Wednesday, expect the Brazilian duo to dazzle against Girona to remind everyone that there is more to Real Madrid than just the former PSG man.
Predicted line-ups
Real Madrid will be without Jude Bellingham for this one after he was sent off last weekend. Los Blancos are also missing Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao who are both out long-term. Girona have a few issues of their own with Abel Ruiz and Arnaut Danjuma both injured and Yangel Herrera suspended.
Real Madrid: Courtois – Valverde, Rudiger, Asencio, Mendy – Tchouameni, Ceballos, Camavinga – Rodrygo, Mbappe, Vinicius Jr
Girona: Gazzaniga – Lopez, Krejci, Blind – Martinez, Romeu, Asprilla, Gutierrez – Gil, Tsyhankov, Portu
Anything else catch the eye?
Real Madrid may be winning their fair share of matches in recent times but there will be some concern about the fact they are conceding goals in most of them. Both teams have scored in each of their last five matches in all competitions and both teams to score again on Sunday has been priced at 8/13 by BoyleSports.
This La Liga match between Real Madrid and Girona will be played on Feb 23, 2025 and kick off at 15:15. Check below for our tipsters best Real Madrid vs Girona prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
