Who will build on their recent run?

As ever, promoted Girona have a chance of representing La Liga in European competition next season. A merit that can be attributed to a recent period of strength. The Blanquivermells picked up 18 of a possible 27 points from their last nine league games. Consequently, it is also not out of the question that the betting on a home win for the Catalans will work out for Girona against Villarreal.

Although the yellow submarine also sold itself dearly recently and collected ten of twelve possible points from the last four league games. However, the home strength of the Catalans must also be taken into account in the forecast for Girona against Villarreal, who have won ten of their 17 home games in La Liga at their home Estadi Montilivi and occupy fifth place in the home table.

It’s very difficult to pick a favourite between two in-form teams who both have their eyes on Europe – Villarreal, too, are five points off fourth place and still hoping to make up ground in the closing stages of the season. In our eyes, however, there is a lot of value in betting that at most one team will score in this clash.

After all, in none of the last six encounters between the two clubs have there been goals on both sides. Most recently, the Yellow Submarine celebrated four wins in a row against the Gironistes.

Girona – Statistics & current form

Girona FC returned to the country’s top flight last summer in sixth place in the final La Liga 2 table via the promotion play-offs. For many experts, the team of promotion coach Míchel was considered the number one candidate for relegation.

Instead, the Blanquivermells are now preparing to qualify for a European competition for the first time in the club’s history. Seventh place would take the Gironistes into the Conference League qualifiers, thanks to Real Madrid’s victory in the Copa del Rey. Meanwhile, they are seven points off sixth place.

Only lost one of last nine league games

If the promoted side continue to play as loose as they have recently in the last four matchdays, this gap could potentially be closed as well. Most recently, the Catalans finally picked up 18 of a possible 27 points and lost only one of their last nine league games (five wins, three draws).

The Gironistes have even won all of their last four home games in a row – regardless of whether the opponents were Espanyol Barcelona (2-1), Mallorca (2-1) or even Real Madrid (4-2). The promoted team can now go into the 35th matchday of the 2022/23 season with a correspondingly broad chest, in which the four-game unbeaten streak (three wins, one draw) is to be further prolonged.

Won ten of 17 home La Liga games

The remarkable home strength at the Estadi Montilivi speaks for the Blanquivermells. Only Barcelona (14), Real Madrid (twelve), Atlético Madrid and Villarreal (eleven each) have recorded more home victories in the 2022/23 season than the promoted side from Catalonia (ten).

The betting on Girona against Villarreal is correspondingly coherent that Míchel’s team will also be able to score in this home match, especially as the Catalans also have the third-best home attack in La Liga behind Real Madrid (41) and Atlético Madrid (36) with 33 home goals already.

Last games played by Girona:

La Liga

• 13/05/2023 –  Real Sociedad 2 – 2 Girona
• 05/05/2023 – Girona 2 – 1 Mallorca
• 02/05/2023 – Sevilla FC 0 – 2 Girona
• 26/04/2023 – Girona 4 – 2 Real Madrid
• 22/04/2023 – Real Valladolid 1 – 0 Girona

Villarreal – Statistics & current form

Villarreal Club de Fútbol suffered an early setback in the current campaign when Unai Emery, under whom the club once achieved the greatest success in its history by winning the Europa League overall in the summer of 2021, withdrew from coaching in October to accept an offer from Aston Villa.

In the end, however, things went almost better under successor Quique Setién, who took over the yellow submarine (Spanish: “El submarino amarillo”) in seventh place and has since led it to fifth place in the La Liga table. Four matchdays before the end of the season, the East Spaniards can even still hope for a Champions League starting spot.

Ten points out of a possible twelve from the last four league matches

Although they are currently five points off fourth place. However, Villarreal have been convincing all along the line recently and have taken ten of a possible twelve points from the last four league games, in which they have scored a total of 13 goals.

It should be noted, however, that the team from the east coast of Spain is much stronger at home than away, which is why it is somewhat surprising that the odds on Girona against Villarreal are swinging in the direction of the Yellow Submarine, who have only won six of their 17 away games in La Liga.

The fifth best offence in La Liga

The great strength of the team from the Valencian Community lies first and foremost in its versatility. At Villarreal, it is not a single star on whose shoulders all the responsibility rests. Rather, the quality is to be found in the collective and across the board.

Among other things, this is reflected in the fact that not a single player scored a double-digit number of goals in the 2022/23 season, while no single player contributed more than five assists. With 52 goals from 34 league games, however, the Yellow Submarine still boasts the fifth-best attack in La Liga, which is correspondingly difficult to predict.

Last games played by Villarreal:

La Liga

• 13/05/2023 – Villarreal FC 5 – 1 Athletic Bilbao
• 04/05/2023 – Valencia 1 – 1 Villarreal FC
• 30/04/2023 – Villarreal FC 3 – 1 Celta Vigo
• 28/04/2023 – Villarreal FC 4 – 2 Espanyol
• 24/04/2023 – Sevilla FC 2 – 1 Villarreal FC

Girona – Villarreal Direct comparison / H2H balance

Head to head: 4 – 0 – 8

There have been twelve meetings between the two teams so far and never before have Girona and Villarreal drawn. Eight times the yellow submarine won, four times the Catalans prevailed. Most recently, the eastern Spaniards celebrated four victories in a row with 6:0 goals. In none of the last six encounters between the two clubs have there been goals on either side.

Girona – Villarreal tip

Both teams are in good form and want to get the maximum out of the final spurt of the season in order to perhaps still slide into the next higher European competition. Accordingly, it is difficult to make a prediction on the outcome of this duel between Girona and Villarreal. In any case, it is striking that in none of the last six competitive matches between the two teams have goals been scored on both sides. Only one team has ever scored at the most.

It is therefore interesting to bet on a low-scoring match in which no more than one team scores. After all, the two clubs have rarely scored too many goals so far. In four of their last five encounters, only one goal was scored.