La Liga: Girona vs Real Madrid Odds, Preview
Surprise League Leaders Host Real Madrid
Vinicius Jr. Back for Real Madrid
Girona has taken La Liga by storm and is now in first place in the league, through seven matches. Since drawing 1-1 at Real Sociedad in the season opener, Girona have won their last six matches. They’re one point ahead of Real Madrid, who they face on Saturday. Real’s Vinicius Junior returned from his injury on Wednesday and could be in the starting XI for this one. With first place in the league on the line, let’s check out the La Liga Girona vs Real Madrid odds.
Girona vs Real Madrid
Date & Time:
Location: Estadi Montilivi, Girona, Spain
Head-to-Head:
Girona is unbeaten in their last three games vs. Real Madrid and was a solid pick for betting on soccer in this matchup last season. Back in April, Girona were +500 underdogs but defeated Real Madrid 4-2 at home. Taty Castellanos, who’s now at Lazio, scored all four of Girona’s goals. In the reverse fixture, the sides drew 1-1. Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior scored in both fixtures last season.
Girona Lead La Liga for First Time Ever
It didn’t look like it was going to be easy for Girona to replace Valentin “Taty” Castellanos, who scored 13 La Liga goals last season. Even without their former star striker, who left for Lazio, Girona has been brilliant this season. They’re currently in the joint-league lead, with 18 goals through seven games, and are on top of the La Liga table for the first time in their history. They were playing in the Segunda Division as recently as mid-2022, but they’re now a force to be reckoned with in La Liga.
Girona are currently 3-0 at home and defeated Mallorca 5-3 there last Saturday as five players got on the scoresheet. They followed it up with an impressive 2-1 win at Villarreal on Wednesday as Artem Dovbyk, Castellanos’ replacement, got on the scoresheet for a second straight game.
Girona has averaged 3.7 goals per game in their last three matches and shows no signs of slowing down. Five Girona players have at least two goals this season, with Dovbyk and Yangel Herrera both on three. Brazilian sensation Savio, who’s only 19, has also managed two goals and four assists so far. Even though they’re the league leaders, the La Liga Girona vs Real Madrid odds price the hosts as +250 underdogs for Sunday’s match.
Room for Improvement for Real Madrid
Real Madrid consistently creates a ton of chances, but that hasn’t always translated to goals this season. They were often wasteful in a 2-0 win over Las Palmas on Wednesday. Brahim Diaz, who was on loan at AC Milan for the last three seasons, scored his first La Liga goal for Real since the 2018-19 season. Joselu also scored his third goal of the season, but Los Blancos certainly should have had more.
In the previous match, Real fell 3-1 last Sunday to rivals Atletico Madrid. Real allowed Atletico to score on three open headers, and Toni Kroos’s goal only counted as a consolation. Still, Real are in an excellent position, at 6-1 in La Liga this season. New midfielder Jude Bellingham is the top scorer in La Liga, along with Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski, with five goals.
Vinicius Jr. returned to action vs. Las Palmas after missing four games, in all competitions. The precocious Brazilian played just over half an hour and could be in Carlo Ancelotti’s starting lineup on Sunday. However, Thibaut Courtois and Eder Militao remain out for Real Madrid.
Match Analysis & Odds
This figures to be the match of the weekend in La Liga, and neutral fans everywhere will be hoping Girona’s purple patch continues. The La Liga Girona vs Real Madrid odds list visiting Real as -105 favorites. That corresponds to a 51.2 percent chance of victory, but Real are winless in their last three matches vs. Girona. Still, getting Vini Jr. back is a huge boost for Real and gives Ancelotti more flexibility with his lineup.
For as good as Girona have been offensively, they’ve conceded at least twice in their last three games. That’s undoubtedly a big reason that they’re +250 underdogs here. Girona +0.5 displays -120 odds for the match, while Real shows the same ATS odds as their moneyline.
Bettors can also take a draw at +295 odds, and one of the fixtures last season finished all square. Under three goals come in at -115 odds, but Girona has been scoring, and conceding, in bunches. Expect both teams to create chances in what should be an excellent match.
For La Liga betting news, analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
