Important Facts
- Espanyol is in fifth place with 34 points; four points behind Atlético and five points ahead of Betis, making the game particularly important in the race for European qualification.
- Despite being in decent form, Espanyol’s recent league games have often been controlled and low-scoring; after Romero’s opener, they only managed a 1-1 draw at Levante, with many games remaining under 2.5 goals.
- The long-term absence of captain Puado leaves Espanyol without a left-sided option and an important pressing catalyst; González is likely to rely more on Milla, Terrats, Fernández, and García as a duo.
- Girona travels to the game in better immediate league form after two 1-0 wins, but remains in 13th place;
there have been no draws and four goals conceded in the last five league games. - Girona are struggling with injuries: Ounahi is out, van de Beek and Portu are out long term, Kourouma is suspended and Abel Ruiz is also out, which limits their attacking options.
- The odds of 1.9 make Espanyol the favorites; three home wins in a row and only one goal conceded in the last five games meet Girona, who have conceded in four consecutive games.
The Catalan duel at the RCDE Stadium has more weight this time than the term “derby” alone suggests: Manolo González’s Espanyol welcomes Míchel’s FC Girona on matchday 20 of La Liga, and the situation is exciting. Espanyol is in fifth place with 34 points, just four points behind Atlético Madrid and five points ahead of Real Betis – so the European debate is quite real. However, recent impressions are more complex: after a strong run, Espanyol has slipped a little and now has to do without captain Puado, who is out for the rest of the season, while Terrats has demanded a more demanding attitude within the team. Girona arrives in better immediate league form, after two consecutive 1-0 wins, but remains 13th in the table with a goal difference of minus 16 and will be without Kourouma after his red card. The last league match ended 0-0, which is quite fitting for this pairing, which is often close and ends in a draw with remarkable frequency.
- Venue: RCDE Stadium, Cornella de Llobregat
- Date and time: January 16, 2026, 9:00 p.m.
- Competition: La Liga (Matchday 20)
The market makes Espanyol the clear favorite (odds around 1.9), and their control at RCDE Stadium speaks in favor of “Espanyol to win” despite Puado’s cruciate ligament tear, especially as Terrats emphasizes a tougher mindset. However, Girona comes in with two wins under its belt, and its possession-oriented style can continue to feed Stuani – keeping the “Both teams to score: Yes” option in play.
Espanyol Form & Record Check
Espanyol’s league form remains decent, even if the shine has faded somewhat recently. The 1-1 draw at Levante felt like a missed opportunity after Romero’s second-half opener, as the equalizer came far too quickly. Before that, there was the 2-0 derby defeat to Barcelona, but then three hard-fought wins, 2-1 at Athletic Club, 1-0 at Getafe, and 1-0 against Rayo Vallecano, all more about control and timing than spectacle. A clear pattern has emerged in recent league games, with the first halves played with the handbrake on and narrow victories in the end. The score was often level at half-time, and the games regularly end with fewer than 2.5 goals, which says a lot about Manolo González’s structure and the team’s patience. The upside is calmness and the good habit of scoring in most appearances, the downside is that one slip-up can quickly undo a lot of solid work, Levante being a case in point. At the halfway point, 34 points and fifth place in the table are already more than many had expected, keeping them within striking distance of Atlético Madrid, 4 points behind, while also giving them a 5-point cushion over Real Betis. The bigger concern is Puado’s season-ending knee injury, as his presence has often influenced their decisions in the final third. It is quite possible that González will rely even more on Milla, Terrats, and the two strikers Fernández and García to maintain their sharpness.
González is likely to stick with a 4-4-2 formation and organize Espanyol in a compact midfield block, with El Hilali and Romero playing cautiously to allow the wingers to make their runs. Dmitrovic should start behind Calero and Cabrera, a duo chosen primarily for their aerial control. Up front, Fernández looks more like the one who drops into the spaces to link up play, while García is expected to attack the depth. The big problem is Puado, who is out long term, which takes away a natural outlet on the left and an important tempo setter in pressing. Dolan and Carreras are therefore expected to carry most of the transition threat on the wings, while Urko González de Zárate and Expósito provide balance in the center. If González wants more control at the back, Lozano or Terrats could come off the bench.
Girona Form & Record Check
Girona comes to the RCDE Stadium on a slight upward trend. Two wins in a row have lifted them to 13th place in the table with 21 points. It’s tight all around, with Getafe level on points and Sevilla just one point behind, so there’s little room for a “good run,” but these two consecutive wins have noticeably calmed the mood after a bumpy December. The 1-0 win against Osasuna was more efficient than fluid, with Vanat seizing the decisive moment, after which Girona managed the game, albeit with some chaos in the closing stages. Away at Mallorca, the 2-1 win showed more resistance and better game management in important phases. The downside, however, is clear: the 3-0 home defeat to Atlético Madrid exposed their defensive weaknesses, and the 3-0 defeat in Elche looked like the performance of a team that never really got going. Certain patterns are now hard to overlook: there have been no draws in the last five league games, and Girona often start quietly, with low-scoring first halves a recurring theme. In addition, they have conceded goals in four of those five games, which keeps the pressure on Gazzaniga and the defense high. Míchel also has personnel concerns: Ounahi is out, van de Beek and Portu are out, and Kourouma is suspended after his late red card.
Míchel is likely to stick to Girona’s usual 4-2-3-1 formation, with Gazzaniga expected to start in goal. In this prediction, the back four would consist of Rincón and Moreno on the flanks, with Reis alongside Blind in the center. The idea is familiar: build patiently from the back, draw pressure, and then find the passing options on the wings early on. In midfield, Martín and Witsel could form the double six, giving Lemar the freedom to pull the strings between the lines, while Tsygankov and Gil provide width around Vanat up front. Girona will likely have to do without Ounahi due to international duty, while van de Beek and Portu are out with long-term injuries and Abel Ruiz is also sidelined, so Stuani seems the obvious alternative if they need another target man.
Espanyol – Girona Head-to-head & statistics
Girona are unbeaten in their last five meetings, with one win and four draws, while Espanyol have now gone five games without a win. The most striking pattern is how often the game ends in a draw, with 80% of these matches ending in a tie. Even when Girona has looked the stronger side at times, the scoreboard has mostly refused to separate the two. Last year, the series was almost sterile, with no goals in September 2025, again no goals in July 2025, then a 1-1 draw in March 2025. Three consecutive head-to-head matches in which neither team scored more than once suggest that this duel stifles both sides’ rhythm and chances. It is also interesting to note that the first halves repeatedly ended in a draw, so early risk-taking was rather rare. The outlier is 2024, when Girona won 4-1 in the league, the only clear result in this sample of five games. Apart from that, the other match in 2024 ended goalless, and overall, four of the five games had fewer than 2.5 goals. If this trend continues, it will again depend more on patience and a single mistake than on sustained pressure.
