Los Blancos have had conflicting fortunes at this stadium, including a 4-2 defeat during the 2022-23 season as well as commanding victories such as a 1-4 win on the second match day of the 2018-19 season and a 0-3 triumph last season.
Both sides enter this encounter with poor results. Girona lost on penalties to Logroñés in the Copa del Rey. At the same time, Real Madrid failed to cut the gap on Barcelona by losing 2-1 to Athletic Bilbao at San Mamés in a rescheduled LaLiga encounter due to the Super Cup in January.
Carlo Ancelotti held his normal pre-match press conference before the game. The Italian coach attempted to relieve pressure on his team, saying, “We haven’t shown our finest version thus far. But I have a great relationship with my players, and we all want to return to our best form as quickly as possible.” Ancelotti also lauded Girona, saying, “They’re doing well. We need to see this as an opportunity.”
When will Vinicius Junior return to Real Madrid?
He shared information on key players, including Vinícius Júnior’s upcoming Champions League encounter against Atalanta and David Alaba’s long-awaited return.
The Austrian defender, who has been sidelined since a December 2023 injury against Villarreal, has returned to training and is expected to improve the team’s build-up play, which Rüdiger and Asencio have struggled with.
Ancelotti praised Asencio’s strong performance after Éder Militão’s injury, noting that Madrid has only surrendered two goals in four matches with him, including a game against Liverpool at Anfield.
Ancelotti has chosen a 21-man team for the match, which includes Chema and Gonzalo from the academy. Gonzalo, who came off the bench against Athletic last week, has been in excellent scoring form recently.
