Kounde, Cubarsi, to start predicted lineup Girona vs. Barcelona on Sunday

Just a few days remain until Girona’s first UEFA tournament. They qualified for the Champions League by finishing in third place last season.

To get to Paris for their first game against French giants Paris Saint-Germain, the Blanquivermells are already looking forward to it.

But Girona has to get through a tough game against a strong Barcelona team before they can fully focus on their trip to the Parc des Princes in the middle of the week.

Girona had a rough start to the season after losing a lot of players over the summer. They started with a 1-1 draw against Real Betis and then lost badly 3-0 to Atletico Madrid.

Recently, Michel’s team got back on track after a slow start and beat Osasuna 4-0 at Montilivi. They then beat Sevilla 2-0 away, with goals from Ivan Martin and Abel Ruiz.

Now Girona is trying to win their third game in a row. They may be the favorites, but they will look to the fact that they beat Barcelona twice in the league last season for motivation.

After not winning a trophy in Xavi’s last season, Hansi Flick is under a lot of pressure to make big changes in his first season as a La Liga boss.

While Flick may only be in his first few months as manager, Barcelona fans have reason to be hopeful after seeing their team win four games in a row.

The Blaugrana picked up speed with three straight 2-1 wins over Valencia, Athletic Bilbao, and Rayo Vallecano. In their last game before the international break, they put on a strong show to beat newly promoted Real Valladolid 7-0.

Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde, Dani Olmo, and Ferran Torres all scored goals, including a hat trick by Raphinha. The win gave Barcelona a four-point lead at the top of the standings going into the international break.

Since the beginning of last season, the Blaugrana have won eight straight games. However, they will be aware that their last league loss was on the road against Girona in May.

Before losing at Montilivi last season, Barcelona had won all three of their La Liga away games against Girona without giving up a goal. In January 2023, Pedri scored the game-winning goal for his team in a 1-0 win.

Ricard Artero and Jastin are still hurt, so Girona can’t play against his home club. Oriel Romeu can’t play either because of a fear clause in his loan deal.

Because of an adductor injury, Yangel Herrera couldn’t join up with Venezuela, but the midfielder should be able to play in the middle of the field against Barcelona.

After coming on as a half-time substitute against Sevilla, Arnaut Danjuma made his debut for Girona. The Villarreal loanee is now trying to get his first start for Michel’s team.

For the visitors, Gavi just got back to training at Barcelona as he works to get better from a major knee injury he got in November 2023.

The 20-year-old has been making good progress, but he is still not ready for selection. Ronald Araujo, Andreas Christensen, Frenkie de Jong, and Marc Bernal are also not playing.

Recently, Fermin Lopez, a midfielder for Spain Under-21, got hurt while training and hurt his leg. He is now on the injury list.

Ansu Fati, a forward, is getting closer to being able to play again, but it doesn’t look like he will be put at risk for Sunday’s away game.

Girona possible starting lineup:
Gazzaniga; Frances, Lopez, Blind, Gutierrez; Tsygankov, Herrera, Martin, Gil; Ruiz, Danjuma

Barcelona possible starting lineup:
Ter Stegen; Kounde, Cubarsi, Martinez, Balde; Casado, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha; Lewandowski