La Liga Preview: Real Betis vs Girona - Analysis and Insights

The first game of the Spanish La Liga kicks off at 6pm on Thursday, as Real Betis take on last season's surprise title challengers Girona at Bento Villamarin.

Girona went undefeated across their two fixtures against Betis last campaign, a welcome reprieve from their recent form in their head to head, as they had lost the five previous editions prior to 2023/24.

Betis vs Girona 24/25. @TinteroVB pic.twitter.com/XZuxq8Nlbo

— Daniel Díaz Álvarez (@yemakema) August 6, 2024

However, Betis were still able to put together a solid league season, finishing 7th and clinching, at the very least brief European football experience, as they will be drawn into the final round of qualification matches for the conference league.

As the commencement of the Spanish top flight edges closer, we investigate strategies, players, recent form in an attempt to predict where the first points of the new season will go.

Real Betis vs Girona Pre-season Form

Home side Betis had a fairly strong pre-season, and started with a strong 5-1 victory over Austria Salzburg. They then saw themselves pitched against Liverpool and Manchester United within a period of four days, and while they lost both, they gave a good account of themselves. They restricted Liverpool to a 1-0 scoreline, and pushed United right to the end in a 3-2 defeat.

They then faced a strong Al-Ittihad side, complete with Karim Benzema playing up front, and won by a comfortable 4-1 margin, with Nabil Fekir amongst those amongst those on the scoresheet.

They finished their pre-season with two draws, but once again, this is nothing to be sniffed at, as one of these was against none other than last season’s invincible and domestic double winners Bayer Leverkusen, a team that has in recent times become notoriously difficult to pick up a result against, which ended a positive pre-season with another positive result and performance.

Beautifully worked Real Betis goal 👏

Juanmi gives the visitors the lead against Bayer Leverkusen with a nice finish 🌴 pic.twitter.com/eXnjFHKCva

— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) August 10, 2024

Girona played seven games throughout July and August, but found success a lot harder to come by. They started with three draws on the bounce, against Olot (1-1), Montpellier (3-3), and Espanyol (0-0), before losing 4-0 to Toulouse thanks to a first half red card for goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga.

However, they bounced back well in their next game against Napoli, which they won 2-0. Unfortunately, this would be their only victory from seven games, as they then played English sides Newcastle and Bournemouth, losing 4-0 and 3-2 respectively to set fans on edge before the start of the league season.

Girona’s head coach Michel Sanchez is worried about his team’s performance during preseason:

"The preseason was bad. We couldn't have all our players available. At the moment, I'm not sure about the team or our way of playing and La Liga restarts soon.”pic.twitter.com/GBWATFvG0L

— LaLigaExtra (@LaLigaExtra) August 12, 2024

Betis certainly had a better time of things during the off season, and will be positive going into their fixture with Girona. However, friendly results rarely indicate how a team will do once the season gets underway, and I wouldn’t be too surprised if Girona played like the side of last season when they arrive at the Bento Villamarin on Thursday.

Real Betis vs Girona Head to Head

As alluded to earlier, Girona enjoyed playing Betis in 2023/24 picking up four points from a possible six. However, their less recent history in the fixtures leaves a lot to be desired, and their 3-2 home win last season was their first victory over Betis in the 21st century.

• 31/03/2024: Girona 3-2 Real Betis.
• 21/12/2023: Real Betis 1-1 Girona.
• 28/05/2023: Girona 1-2 Real Betis.
• 18/09/2022: Real Betis 2-1 Girona.
• 20/01/2022: Real Betis 3-2 Girona.

Real Betis vs Girona Top Scorers

Girona last season were able to boast one of the finest goalscorers in the division in Ukrainian striker Artem Dovbyk, who bagged 24 goals in La Liga last year, winning the golden boot in the process. However, his wondrous form in front of goal brought with it unwanted attention, and this summer he secured a move to Roma in Italy to try his hand in the Serie A.

Girona did not help themselves by selling their second highest goalscorer either, as left winger Savinho secured a move to fellow City group owned side Manchester City. This has left veteran forward Christian Stuani as the only remaining Girona player who placed inside their top three goal scorers last season, in which he scored nine times.

Girona’s 20 year old Savio finished with the most successful dribbles in La Liga for the 2023/24 season. 🪄🇧🇷pic.twitter.com/3JYEF7wOjG

— LaLigaExtra (@LaLigaExtra) May 29, 2024

Betis, while lacking a single consistent source of goals, were very good at spreading the load last season, with their top three scorers within 3 goals of each other. Starting center forward Willian Jose was the only one to reach double figures, converting 10, while former Newcastle United player Ayoze Perez finished one behind him on 9.

Isco rounded out a well ordered top three with eight goals. While Willian Jose has since secured a move to Spartak Moscow, Perez and Isco remain at the club, and with the club also bringing in young striker Iker Losada, it looks as if they have replaced the void left by the Spanish striker's absence.

Real Betis vs Girona Team News

Despite playing six matches across pre-season, Betis were able to avoid injuries to any of their key players, surely a good omen for the start of their season.

Girona similarly avoided any needless injury lay-offs, and with both teams set to be able to pick their strongest lineups, it promises to be an intriguing and high quality start to the La Liga campaign.

Real Betis vs Girona Predicted Lineups

• Real Betis (4-5-1): Silva (GK), Sabaly, Bartra, Llorente, Perraud, Ruibal, Carvalho, Fekir, Roca, Fornals, Losada.
• Girona (4-5-1): Gazzaniga (GK), Martinez, Juanpe, Romeu, Blind, Tsygankov, Herrera, Almena, Solis, Gil, Stuani.

Real Betis vs Girona Player to Watch

Despite many of each side's star players from last season moving on, there is certainly no lack of quality on display. One player who automatically falls under the label of quality is Isco.

The attacking midfielder, formerly a key player at Real Madrid, was left out of contract at Sevilla in December 2022, and was a free agent for more than half a year before Betis picked him up. It would end up being a superb piece of business, as Isco went on to score 8 goals and assist 5 more in 29 appearances.

Stop that Isco. pic.twitter.com/dtrEjn97Ws

— Stop That Football (@stopthatfooty) March 31, 2024

Capable of moments of magic, and coming off the back of a season where he looked back to his effervescent best, Isco remains one of the finest midfielders in the game, and Betis will be setting the bar high as long he is available for selection and on form.

Where can I watch Real Betis vs Girona?

The game will not be broadcasted on UK TV, but you will be able to follow the game through text commentary in any live scores app of your liking, such as Sofascore and Sky Sports Football.