Girona vs Almeria predictions, H2H and match preview for this Thursday’s Spanish Segunda Division play-off Semi-Final 1st Leg. Read on for analysis and betting picks as the race for the final place in LaLiga 2020/21 finally begins.
Girona vs Almeria Preview
The Spanish Segunda Division play-offs finally get underway on Thursday, nearly four weeks after the league season officially finished. The fallout from the postponement of Depor-Fuenlabrada would have been a source of frustration to both Girona and Almeria, who have known for some time they would be facing each other in the play-offs regardless of the eventual result of that match.
Of the two sides, it was certainly Girona who had greater momentum heading into this tie and the delay may if anything have worked in Almeria’s favour. Despite the absence of home backing, the Catalans won all of their final 4 league games at Montilivi, most recently seeing off already promoted Cadiz. Only champions Huesca could better their home record over the course of the season and with a mammoth 75% of their points coming at home, it’s clear that Girona will be very hungry to make home advantage count here.
Almeria by contrast were pretty strong travellers during the regular season but they really did not convince following the resumption. They won just 2 of their final 8 games to miss out on automatic promotion which was certainly the primary objective this term following significant investment last summer. That period also saw two coaches sacked with both Guti and Mário Silva losing their jobs and this match will be the first under the guidance of new boss José Gomes.
It’ll be interesting to see what kind of shape these sides are in following the extended break and it’s a tie that feels a bit like a battle between two Uruguayan strikers with Cristhian Stuani top scoring in this league with 29 goals for Girona while Almeria’s Darwin Núñez was one of the breakout young stars with 16 goals.
Girona vs Almeria Predictions
Score Prediction: 2-1 Girona
Girona have been so strong at home this season that they look the likely victors here. The experience and quality of Stuani will be vital as it has been all season and the Catalans ought to fancy this against an Almeria side that has faced a turbulent few months with coaches coming and going and nothing in the way of stability or consistency on the pitch.
Girona vs Almeria Betting Tips (18+)
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Girona vs Almeria H2H
- Last 6 Competitive Meetings: 1 Girona Win, 2 Almeria Wins, 3 Draws.
- 4 of the last 6 meetings at Montilivi have ended 1-0 with Almeria winning 3 of those.
- However Girona were 1-0 winners when the sides met here last month.
- Both meetings this season produced red cards with Girona reduced to 10 in a 3-1 defeat at Almeria earlier this season.
Predicted Line Ups
Girona Team:
Riesgo – Maffeo, Miquel, Juanpe, Mojica – Granell, Gumbau – Benítez, Borja García, Samu Sáiz – Stuani (4-2-3-1)
Almeria Team:
Sivera – Balliu, Maras, Ibiza, Martos – Corpas, De la Hoz, Vada, Villalba – Juan Muñoz, Darwin Núñez (4-4-2)
We will have previews for every Segunda Division play-off game.
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