Barcelona will be aiming to bounce back from successive defeats when they resume their La Liga campaign with a clash against Catalan rivals Girona at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on Saturday afternoon.
Hansi Flick's side are second in the La Liga table, two points behind leaders Real Madrid, while Girona occupy 18th, level on points with 17th-placed Real Oviedo ahead of the next set of matches in Spain's top flight.
Match preview
Barcelona were stunned by Sevilla before the October international break, suffering a 4-1 defeat at Estadio Ramon, with that result following a 2-1 home loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
As a result, there will be pressure on Flick to ensure that the team return to winning ways on Saturday, and a victory would move them back above Real Madrid to the top of the La Liga table.
Barcelona now have back-to-back home fixtures against Girona and Olympiacos before the small matter of a trip to Bernabeu to face Real Madrid on October 26, and both teams have a number of key players battling to be available for selection in the first Clasico of the 2025-26 campaign.
Blaugrana beat Girona 4-1 home and away during the 2024-25 La Liga campaign, but the latter actually triumphed in both matches between the two sides during the 2023-24 season.
Barcelona have won seven of their 11 matches against Girona throughout history, while they have scored 35 times, so they average more than three goals per game against their Catalan rivals.
Girona's Thomas Lemar on August 30, 2025
Girona entered the October international break off the back of a 2-1 win over Valencia, with that proving to be the team's first success of the 2025-26 campaign.
There is no getting away from the fact that it has been a tough start to the season for Michel's side, but they are now unbeaten in their last three matches and have only lost one of their last five in Spain's top flight.
Girona have a record of one win, three draws and four defeats from their eight league matches this season, with six points leaving them in 18th spot in the table, level on points with 17th-placed Oviedo.
The White and Reds had an incredible 2023-24 season, finishing in third spot in the table, but they found it difficult last term, ending the campaign in 16th, only one point above the relegation zone.
Michel will be looking for his side to climb the table in the coming weeks, and the visitors will be aiming to take advantage of Barcelona's injury situation in this weekend's match.
Barcelona La Liga form:
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Barcelona form (all competitions):
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Girona La Liga form:
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Team News
Barcelona's Lamine Yamal on August 31, 2025
Lamine Yamal is back in training after recovering from a groin issue, and the Spaniard is set to be involved, but a start is unlikely, with Barcelona being cautious when it comes to the teenage superstar.
Fermin Lopez is also in line to return from injury on Saturday, but Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Dani Olmo, Gavi, Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Joan Garcia are all out of the match through injury.
Ferran Torres needs to be assessed, with the Spaniard carrying a slight hamstring issue, but Barcelona are hopeful that he will be fit to lead the line on Saturday.
Roony Bardghji is in line to start due to the home side's attacking problems, while on-loan Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford is set to continue in the final third of the field.
As for Girona, Alejandro Frances and Ivan Martin are both out of the match through suspension, while Juan Carlos, David Lopez and Donny van de Beek will definitely be missing due to injury problems.
Late checks will also need to be made on Abel Ruiz, Viktor Tsygankov and Azzedine Ounahi, with Girona having more problems than Barcelona when it comes to availability this weekend.
Vladyslav Vanat has scored twice in five appearances since his arrival at the club, and there is set to be another spot in the final third of the field for the 23-year-old.
Barcelona possible starting lineup:
Szczesny; Kounde, Cubarsi, E Garcia, Balde; Pedri, De Jong; Bardghji, Fermin, Rashford; F. Torres
Girona possible starting lineup:
Gazzaniga; Reis, Blind, Martinez; Rincon, Solis, Witsel, Moreno; Roca, Vanat, Gil
SM words green background
We say: Barcelona 2-1 Girona
Barcelona will be missing a whole host of important players for this match, but Girona have availability issues of their own, and we are expecting Flick's side to return to winning ways on Saturday afternoon.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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