The hosts are heading into the match on the back of a 2-1 win over Atalanta in their final friendly of the summer last Sunday, while Girona played out a 1-1 draw against Real Zaragoza on the same day.
Valencia will host Girona in their opening match of the 2022-23 La Liga season at the Mestalla on Sunday night. The hosts are heading into the match on the back of a 2-1 win over Atalanta in their final friendly of the summer last Sunday, while Girona played out a 1-1 draw against Real Zaragoza on the same day. Valencia finished ninth in the La Liga standings last term with 48 points, 11 points adrift of the European qualification. Girona, meanwhile, finished sixth in the Segunda division table, and then went on to get the better of Eibar and Tenerife in the playoffs to earn promotion to the top tier of Spanish football.
⚽️It’s Matchday ⚽️
? @GironaFC
??️#Mestalla
⌚️7:30 pm
#⃣ #ValenciaGirona ??⚪️ pic.twitter.com/wKd9cO4b1E— Valencia CF (@valenciacf_en) August 14, 2022
Valencia had a mixed pre-season, registering three wins, two defeats and one draw. Their three victories came against Borussia Dortmund (3-1), FC st. Gallen (0-2) and Atalanta. Last Sunday, against the Italian outfit, a brace from Hugo duro helped Los Che secure the win. The hosts will head into their first season under the management of Italian tactician Gennaro Gattuso. Valencia would be aiming to challenge for a European spot this time around.
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Girona, on the other hand, last participated in the La Liga during the 2018-19 season, when they finished 18th in the standings and got relegated to the second tier. After the two seasons in the second tier of Spanish football, the White and Reds have returned to the top division. The Blanquivermells registered two wins, two draws and two defeats in their pre-season this summer. In their last match against Zaragoza, Rodrigo Riquelme canceled out Eugeni Valderamma’s opener to share the spoils.
Valencia boss Gattuso has a fully fit squad at his disposal. Duro is likely to lead the line with Lino, Soler and Castillejo in support. Musah and Guillamon could pull the strings in the midfield. As for Girona, midfielder Borja Garcia is the only absentee because of injury. Yangel Herrera, Couto and A Garcia could form the midfield trio. Valentin Castellanos is likely to be the target-man up front alongside Stuani.
Valencia probable starting lineup: Mamardashvili; Correia, Diakhaby, Gabriel, Gaya, Musah, Guillamon, Castillejo, Soler, Lino, Duro
Girona probable starting lineup: Martin; Martinez, Bueno, Juanpe, Couto, Herrera, A Garcoa, Terrats, Urena; Stuani, Castellanos
The La Liga fixture between Valencia and Giromn will take place at Mestalla on Sunday at 11:00 pm IST.
Valencia vs Girona | Key details |
Date | August 14 |
Venue | Mestalla |
Kickoff time in Spain | 7:30 pm |
Kickoff time in India | 11:00 pm |
The live coverage of the match is available on Sports18 network, Voot Select and MTV India.