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Arsenal conclude their Champions League league phase away to Girona on Wednesday night with their place in the round of 16 all but assured.
It's likely the Gunners won't even need to secure a result in Catalonia on Matchday 8 to finish in the top eight and thus progress automatically into the last 16. Victory over Dinamo Zagreb last week left Mikel Arteta's side third in the table having won five of their seven games.
Arsenal head into Wednesday's bout having returned to winning ways in the Premier League on Saturday. The Gunners battled adversity to secure a crucial 1-0 victory at Wolves, ensuring Liverpool didn't extend their advantage further at the top of the table.
Girona were one of the stories of 2023/24, but have struggled to match the highs of last season this term. Michel's side stunned La Liga with their innovative and swashbuckling possession play but have suffered since the departures of Savinho, Aleix Garcia, and Artem Dovbyk in the summer.
Wednesday's hosts sit eighth in La Liga and have already been eliminated from this competition. Girona picked up three points from their opening seven games.
Here's our preview of Girona vs Arsenal in the Champions League.
Girona vs Arsenal: Preview, Prediction & Lineups
What time does Girona vs Arsenal kick off?
Girona vs Arsenal kicks off on Wednesday 19 January at 15:00 BST.
- When is kick off? Saturday 25 January, 2025
- What time is kick off? 20:00 BST
- Where is it played? Estadi Municipal de Montilivi, Girona
- Referee: Maurizio Mariani
Girona vs Arsenal head to head record
This is the first competitive meeting between Girona and Arsenal.
Is Girona vs Arsenal on TV?
Country | TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
United States | Paramount+ |
United Kingdom | discovery+, discovery+ App |
Canada | DAZN Canada |
Girona team news
Tottenham loanee Bryan Gil has been one of Girona's shining lights this season, but he won't be able to play on Wednesday due to yellow card accumulation. He picked up his third booking of the league phase last week in the 1-0 defeat to Milan.
Adventurous full-back Miguel Gutierrez is another notable absentee, with Ladislav Krejci also absent.
Daley Blind, Donny van de Beek, Oriol Romeu, Paulo Gazzaniga and Arnaut Danjuma are familiar names who could be included in Wednesday's starting XI.
Predicted Girona lineup vs Arsenal: Gazzaniga; Martinez, Juanpe, Lopez, Blind; Herrera, Romeu; Asprilla, Van de Beek, Danjuma; Ruiz.
Arsenal team news
William Saliba and Myles Lewis-Skelly both recovered from their respective injury setbacks to feature at the weekend, and the latter is eligible to play on Wednesday despite his sending off at the weekend.
Arteta will likely start the teenager at left-back with Riccardo Calafiori poised to start the three following games.
Mikel Merino and Martin Odegaard could return to the fold after missing Saturday's win, but Arsenal are still without Ben White, Bukayo Saka and Takehiro Tomiyasu.
Predicted Arsenal lineup vs Girona: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly; Jorginho, Merino, Nwaneri; Sterling, Havertz, Martinelli.
Girona vs Arsenal score prediction
The novelty of Michel's Girona may have worn off, although many of their issues this term boil down to personnel. They remain a tricky outfit to contain with the ball, but their form this term points towards a team that are struggling to make the most of the control they're often able to assert on matches.
There's a soft touch to this Girona team, and Arsenal are primed to take advantage even if Arteta rotates his team from Saturday. The Gunners aren't likely to need a result on Wednesday, but they should get one anyway.