Will Girona win the promotion tie against Valladolid?
Four matchdays after the start of the season in the Spanish top flight, all three promoted teams in La Liga have four points to their name, including Real Valladolid, the team of club boss Ronaldo. Last week, the “Pucelanos” were able to pick up three important points in the promotion duel against Almeria. On Friday evening, the white and purple team will face another match against a fellow promoted team.
Head coach Pacheta’s team will be visiting Catalonia. Against Girona FC, the guests from Valladolid are classified as underdogs according to the bookmakers with a German licence. If the Ronaldo club defies the bookies and wins Friday’s match, odds of 3.50 are paid out for tip 2 on Girona vs. Valladolid.
Last season, when the two clubs were still competing in the second-tier La Liga 2, the Catalan representatives from Girona remained unbeaten against Real Valladolid in both the first and second legs. There was even a 1-0 win at home for the Catalans, extending their strong record against the “Pucelanos”.
The Estadio Municipal de Montilivi, the home of the “Gironistes”, has never seen a defeat for the Catalan hosts against the visitors from Valladolid. It is quite possible that the record will be extended this time as well.
Girona – Statistics & current form
Girona FC have had a mixed start to the season so far and have already lost two of their four league games. Because the competition in the Spanish top flight has also stumbled, there is still a chance for the Catalans to make amends. If they are successful, Girona could make a big leap in the table on Friday evening and take seventh place for the time being.
The promotion tie with the visitors from Valladolid comes in handy. The “Gironistes” have already won five of their seven home games against Friday’s opponents. Girona FC celebrated one of these five victories in the first half of last season. A 1:0 after a penalty goal by Stuani was enough to score three points against the “Pucelanos”.
The Catalans’ home strength was one of the success factors last season anyway. Only Eibar, Almeria and the upcoming opponents from Valladolid scored more points at home than Girona FC. Whether this will be continued in the Spanish top flight remains uncertain for the time being. The “Gironistes” have already lost one of their two league games in front of their home crowd.
Can Girona keep Valladolid’s attack in check?
So far, the promoted Girona side have only prevailed in their league match against Getafe FC. The Catalans celebrated an impressive 3:1 victory and were thus able to compensate for the defeat at the start of the season against Valencia. Since then, however, head coach Míchel’s team has dropped two important points in a row.
After a narrow defeat against Celta Vigo (0:1), they most recently drew against RCD Mallorca (1:1). Therefore, Friday’s match against the visitors from Valladolid is all the more important and trend-setting. Not only because Girona FC can make a big leap in the table if they are successful, but also because the H2H will be decisive in the final table if the teams are tied on points.
A total of five players in the ranks of the Catalan hosts will miss Friday night’s encounter due to injury. Among those missing will be Stuani, who will be unavailable for a month with heart problems. Compared to the starting eleven that was in action last week against Mallorca, no major changes are therefore to be expected for Girona. In addition to the relatively low odds, this injury list for Girona vs Valladolid does not underline the betting on a home win.
Predicted line-up of Girona:
Carlos; Bueno, Lopez, Juanpe; Martinez, Romeu, Garcia, Gutierrez; Villa, Castellanos, Riquelme
Last matches played by Girona:
La Liga
03/09/2022 – Mallorca 1 – 1 Girona
27/08/2022 – Girona 0 – 1 Celta Vigo
23/08/2022 – Girona 3 – 1 Getafe
15/08/2022 – Valencia 1 – 0 Girona
Club friendlies
07/08/2022 – Girona 1 – 1 Real Zaragoza
Valladolid – Statistics & current form
Real Valladolid landed a big point in the Spanish top flight last week, successfully beating second division champions Almeria in the promotion duel. In doing so, the team of club boss Ronaldo not only picked up their first win in the Spanish top flight, but also left the relegation places in La Liga with the last-minute victory.
The “Pucelanos” are now aiming for the next points against Girona FC. Their recent form away from home is encouraging. Real Valladolid have lost only one of their last seven matches on foreign soil. That defeat came in an away game against FC Barcelona.
Before that, Valladolid had scored at the difficult hurdle of Sevilla. It would therefore not be at all surprising if the supposed underdogs also manage a point in Girona. In contrast to their Catalan league rivals, Real Valladolid will be playing with their best players on Friday night.
Has the offensive knot broken?
After four days of play in the Spanish top flight, the Pucelanos’ offensive has been a major problem so far. Valladolid have scored only two goals in four matches. If the offensive play is improved, Valladolid have a realistic chance of winning the promotion duel against Girona FC.
On a season-long basis, the white and purple team has only lost one of the last four league encounters against the upcoming opponents from Catalonia. Valladolid have even kept their clean sheet against the “Gironistes” twice in this period. Last season, however, Valladolid scored three times in two encounters with the Catalans.
In the last meeting with Girona FC against Valladolid, the prediction of more than 2.5 goals in a match comes true for the first time since February 2017.
Predicted line-up of Valladolid:
Asenjo; Perez, Fernandez, Sanchez, Escudero; Aguado, Mesa, Perez; Sanchez, Guardiola, Plano
Last matches played by Valladolid:
La Liga
06/09/2022 – Real Valladolid 1 – 0 Almeria
29/08/2022 – FC Barcelona 4 – 0 Real Valladolid
20/08/2022 – FC Sevilla 1 – 1 Real Valladolid
13/08/2022 – Real Valladolid 0 – 3 FC Villarreal
Friendly club matches
07/08/2022 – Real Valladolid 0 – 0 Lazio Roma
Girona – Valladolid Direct comparison / H2H record
In the last 17 meetings between the two clubs, Real Valladolid have the edge with a record of 7-4-6. The “Pucelanos” conceded one of their six defeats in the first leg of last season, when Girona FC secured a 1-0 win in front of their home crowd. The second leg at Valladolid, on the other hand, ended in a high-scoring draw (2-2).
On average, less than 2.5 goals per match have been scored in the matches between the two clubs. It is quite possible that this trend will continue this time as well.
Girona – Valladolid Tip
Real Valladolid made a clean sweep of last week’s promotion tie with second division champions Almería. With the last-minute victory on the fourth day of La Liga, Valladolid not only celebrated their first win of the season, but were also able to leave the relegation places in the Spanish top flight for the time being.
On Friday night, the “Pucelanos” will be aiming for the next points and will also be looking to improve on their poor record in Girona. So far, Valladolid have never won a match against their upcoming opponents in Catalonia. In return, they have suffered a total of five defeats in their last seven matches at Girona FC.
Nevertheless, we don’t think it’s a stretch to bet on Real Valladolid to pick up a point this time around. The hosts from Catalonia are currently struggling with some personnel problems and have not had the best start to the season so far.
In contrast to the bookmakers, we do not see a clear favourite on the 1X2 market and tend towards a match on equal terms. Because both attacking departments have been particularly disappointing, we dare to bet on Girona vs. Valladolid at odds of 1.66 on under 2.5 goals in the match. We are betting five units on this match.
