Barcelona - Girona live online: score, stats & updates | LaLiga EA Sports

Less than 10 to go for your predictions!

Have your say on Twitter as to who you think will take the points in the Catalan derby!

A reminder of the starting XIs:

FC BARCELONA [4-3-3]:

GK: Iñaki Peña

DEF: Kounde - Araujo - Christensen - Cancelo

MID: De Jong - Gundogan - Pedri

ATT: Raphinha - Lewandowski - João Félix

Manager: Xavi Hernández

GIRONA [3-4-3]:

GK: Gazzaniga

DEF: Blind - David López - Eric

MID: Yan Couto - Aleix - Iván Martín - Miguel

ATT: Savinho - Dovbyk - Tsygankov

Manager: Míchel

Countdown to kick-off!

The atmosphere is building as both teams are out on the pitch for their pre-match warmup routines ahead of kick-off.

Xavi to Spanish TV:

It's going to be a tough and intense game, they are great at switching things up.

We have predicted how we think they'll play - what we couldn't predict was to be four points behind them!

It will be a great game, we both want the ball and are both offensive. 

I hope it goes our way and we see the same version of Barça we've seen recently.

They are a direct rival and this result is very important. 

They have so much variance; they normally press high but we are prepared.

Iñaki Peña between the sticks once again

The goalkeeper has stepped out onto the pitch to a huge cheer at Montjuïc!

Peña has been in fantastic form and has really showed his talent since slotting into the humungous gap left by Marc-Andre Ter Stegen.

Girona arrive at Montjuïc!

The nearly-league leaders have arrived at the stadium ahead of kick-off!

A quick reminder!

Remember, if you want to watch the game as you do your festive shopping then you can get it for free with a FuboTV trial.

LALIGA EA SPORTS

Why is Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo wearing a mask in the LaLiga Game against Girona?

The Uruguayan suffered afractured jaw in the game against Atlético Madrid.

The challenge during the game saw him fall to the floor, but the tough nut was hard to crack, and he cracked on with the game. Tests carried out post-match revealed that the defender had actually suffered a facial fracture, which is why Araujo’s looking like he’s late for the Barça halloween party.

Xavi goes with the same starting XI for the third game in a row

It seems as though the Catalan coach has finally found his preferred starting XI, with the boss sticking with the same starting team for the third game in a row.

Barcelona, against Porto, entered into a fantastically difficult run of Games in which their Champions League and LaLiga prospects were (and still are) on the line.

So far, they've done well, beating both the Portuguese side and Atlético Madrid, their title rivals, but this game, against the Catalans, is arguably their biggest test so far...

Xavi pre-match press conference highlights:

Get involved!

Check out our Twitter poll and have your say on who you think is going to win the game today. If you're feeling particularly daring, you could give us a score prediction and see your tweet appear on the live feed!

Or just come and say hello!

@English_AS / @j4brennan

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Real Betis draw 1-1 against Real Madrid in LaLiga: key moments and post-match analysis

A point for Girona would put them joint top of LaLiga today and a win would see them move ahead of Real Madrid.

Los Blancos drew 1-1 with Real Betis yesterday at the Estadio Benito Villamarín in what was a frantic game from start to finish.

I did a quick video summary of how that game went and looking back, I was very excitable.

Girona starting XI revealed!

Gazzaniga is in goal with DavidLópez, Blind and Eric in front of him. 

YanCouto and Miguel are in the wide positions, with AleixGarcía and Iván Martín in the middle of the park.

It's the typical front three of Dovbyk, Savinho and Tsygankov up top.

Barça team news in!

It looks like Xavi's preferred starting XI, given the injuries.

IñakiPeña starts behind a defence of Koundé, Araujo, Christensen and Cancelo.

The midfield trio are Pedri, Gundogan and FrenkiedeJong.

Up top we have JoãoFélix, Lewandowski and Raphinha.

Who's the ref?

Isidro Díaz de Mera Escuderos is the man with the whistle today and would you believe it, Barcelona fans aren’t happy about it. The official was in charge of the Game against Rayo Vallecano which Barcelona fans believe was poorly refereed by the 34-year-old.

He has been a top division referee since 2020 and is one of LaLiga’s newest additions to the league. Before being promoted, he had 4 seasons in Spain’s second division.

Barça finding form once again...

The blaugrana appear to have turned a corner in terms of results and it looks like Xavi has shaken off the criticism that seemed to follow him round like a pesky ghoul.

Today is another chance to stamp their authority on the league and show everyone that they can still be as good as the side that won LaLiga last season.

LALIGA EA SPORTS

Barcelona - Girona: predicted starting XIs and team news for LaLiga match day 16

Both Xavi and Míchel have had various injury woes to deal with, so here's the latest update on the team news as well as how we think both managers will set their teams up for the Catalan derby.

Barça's dressing room is ready!

The Barcelona dressing room is ready for action! We've not got the team news as of yet, but as soon as we have it I'll let you know.

LALIGA

Barcelona - Girona: times, how to watch on TV, stream online | LaLiga

Want to watch the game slyly while you do your festive shopping? Well, you’re in luck. You can watch the game for free with a free trial of Fubo TV.

Barcelona's stadium swap

Barcelona, as you are probably aware, are not playing at Camp Nou this season, as it’s undergoing renovation. This season their games are being held at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, also known as Montjuïc. 

The capacity is significantly less, around 55,000, and season ticket holders were given the option of skipping this season, something which has caused the atmosphere to become extremely flat. Against Atlético, for example, there were less than 40,000 fans at the game. 

The structure of the stadium doesn’t help, either, as there’s a running track all around the pitch and the stands are flatter than the beer you can buy on the concourse.

How the table looks:

Well, would you look at that. Girona, for the first time in their history, come up against Barcelona ahead of them in the table, and a win could see them move past Real Madrid into the top spot on their own. Girona’s only loss in LaLiga came against Real Madrid and since then they’ve equalled their title rivals every step of the way.

As for Barcelona, a win today could see them keep the pressure on not just the top two, but Atlético Madrid as well. Their recent 1-0 win over Los Rojiblancos gave them some room to manoeuvre but Atleti have won today which keeps Barça on their toes. 

Team news: FC Barcelona

Xavi, like most managers in LaLiga, has had plenty of injury woes all throughout the season, and some big names are still unavailable.

Gavi is out for the season and Ter Stegen has just undergone back surgery, so don’t expect to see him soon. 

Iñigo Martínez is out and although Christensen suffered a scare in midweek, it’s thought that he’ll be OK to play. Marcos Alonso is a late absence due to back problems.

Team news: Girona

Míchel has to deal with the loss of Yangel Herrera, who will be out for around 6 weeks with a physical issue. Pablo Torre was doing a nice job of filling in the hole left by the Venezuelan, but a “fear clause”, as called in Spanish, means that he can’t play against his parent club.

Welcome!

Hello and a warm welcome to match day 16 in LaLiga EA Sports.

It's Joe here to bring you the minute-by-minute coverage of the Catalan derby!

The action does not stop just because Christmas is creeping closer, and today we’ve got another headline fixture in the advent calendar! 

The Catalangiantsat the top of the table host their noisy neighbours from over the hill.

The side have been playing free-flowing football and have worked their way up to the top of the league with a record identical to that of Real Madrid’s as they fight for the LaLiga crown.

Girona have been excellent all year and today is another test of their talent.

Oh, you thought I was talking about Barcelona?