Catalan derby: Barcelona's opportunity for redemption against Girona?Carlos Volcano

Despite a challenging start to the season with a draw and a defeat, the home team bounced back in spectacular fashion by defeating CA Osasuna 4-0 and securing a 2-0 victory away at Sevilla FC this weekend.

In the case of Los Azulgranas, they have been perfect so far by winning all four of their matches to date. Hansi Flick’s charges have played very well, especially in the last game when they overcame Real Valladolid by a whopping 7-0 scoreline. 

A game of reunions 

This match will see several players come up against their former teams. Oriol Romeu will take on FC Barcelona, the club whose academy he came through and who he played for last season, while Eric García and Pablo Torre will now be on the Barça side taking on Girona FC after they each contributed to Míchel’s team having a great campaign last year.

Another case is that of Pau Víctor, who is now in the FC Barcelona first team after playing for the Catalan institution’s B team last term on loan from Girona FC. Now, a permanent transfer has been agreed, so he is another player for whom this weekend’s match means something extra. 

Girona FC did the double over Barça last season

Looking back to last season, Girona FC were the shock performers in LALIGA EA SPORTS in a good way, as they made history. One way they did so was by doing the double over FC Barcelona, winning 4-2 in both league matches. The two games between these teams were thrilling, with Girona FC taking the three points on both occasions thanks to their clinical finishing in front of goal. 

This season, Los Blaugranas want to win this Catalan derby once again. Not only did they lose twice last season, but they drew the game before that too. It really should be a fun encounter, especially with so many talented players on show. The likes of Dani Olmo, Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski, Pedri, Bryan Gil, Arnaut Danjuma, Viktor Tsygankov and Yáser Asprilla are set to be involved on the pitch, while the tactical battle between the up-and-coming Míchel and the vastly experienced Hansi Flick will be another duel to keep a close eye on, especially with Flick being the coach of the month in LALIGA EA SPORTS. 

A clash of similar playing styles

Girona FC and FC Barcelona also have very similar styles of play, as both teams press high up the pitch, look to get forward and always know where the opposition goal is. Although Míchel has had to make some adaptations, with many new players in his squad, the new arrivals are getting to grips with the system and making an impact. 

One of the players who has stayed on is Viktor Tsygankov and his importance has grown, a challenge he is embracing. The Ukrainian has one goal and one assist already and is showing the way for new recruits such as Bryan Gil or Danjuma. The Spanish coach likes his wide players to find space, so that the full-backs can come inside, so this is a tactical wrinkle to look out for.  

So far this season Girona FC have shot 15 times at goal, scoring seven times, which means that they practically score with every second shot. Abel Ruiz, with two goals, is their top scorer at this early stage of the season, and will surely be tasked with carrying the goalscoring burden for a lot of the campaign.

Girona FC’s attacking play actually starts from the very back, and Daley Blind is the player in the competition with the most passes completed so far, connecting with 337 passes out of 361 attempted, which is 93.35%. This is essential for the Catalan outfit as they aim to settle in the opposition half and then pick apart their rivals. 

As for FC Barcelona, they may have some different patterns, but the general idea is the same as Girona FC’s. They also want to attack the spaces, move inside and out and finish their chances. The league leaders also have two of the top passers in the division, in Iñigo Martínez and Pau Cubarsí, who have registered 338 and 285 passes respectively. 

Martínez has a completion percentage of 91.12% while Cubarsí surpasses that figure with 92.98%. This shows that Flick is as keen as Míchel is for his centre-backs to initiative the attacking play. FC Barcelona are, as a whole, the second-top team for the most passes in LALIGA EA SPORTS, with 2,269, while they have had the second-most shots on goal, with 27, as well as hitting the post six times. Having scored 13 times from average possession of 66%, Barça top both of these two stats.  

It's clear, then, that both of these teams will set out to attack when the ball gets rolling on Sunday. With so much quality across these two squads, this LALIGA EA SPORTS Matchday 5 fixture should be a great game, one of the biggest so far in the new season.