Girona vs Liverpool: Preview, predictions and lineups

There’s no chance of Storm Darragh disrupting Liverpool’s plans on Tuesday night as they face Girona in the Champions League.

The Reds enjoyed the weekend off following the postponement of Saturday’s Merseyside derby as a result of the stormy conditions which swept across the United Kingdom. While Arne Slot’s side will likely have to endure Goodison Park under the lights in the new year, they wouldn’t have been too peeved with the recent respite.

Last time out, Liverpool dropped their first Premier League points since 27 October by drawing 3-3 at Newcastle.

Slot may view Tuesday’s bout as a chance to rotate given the Reds’ strong position at the top of the league phase table. They’re the only team to maintain a 100% record through five games and are almost assured of their place in the top eight.

Liverpool are taking on a Girona team that have struggled to replicate the highs of 2023/24 thus far and unlikely to progress beyond the league phase in their maiden Champions League venture. Michel’s team currently sit 30th in the table with just three points.

Their eyes are set on Real Madrid, whom they lost to at the weekend, in the final play-off spot.

Here is 90min’s guide to the Tuesday’s Champions League duel.

Girona vs Liverpool H2H Record

This is the first competitive meeting between Girona and Liverpool.

Current form (all competitions)

Plenty of former Premier League stars are set to line up for the hosts on Tuesday. Bryan Gil, Donny van de Beek and Oriol Romeu all started against Real Madrid at the weekend and will likely be involved from the outset here.

Arnaut Danjuma, once of Everton, has impressed in spurts on loan from Villarreal, but Yaser Asprilla is starting to play a more prominent role for Michel’s side.

The hosts are likely to once again be without midfielder Yangel Herrera due to a foot injury, while Viktor Tsygankov is struggling with an ankle issue. Jhon Solis is another doubt.

Girona predicted lineup vs Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Gazzaniga; Martinez, Lopez, Krejci, Gutierrez; Martin, Romeu; Asprilla, Van de Beek, Danjuma; Miovski.

The Reds will doubtlessly benefit from their weekend’s rest and it won’t be long until we see Alisson, Diogo Jota and Federico Chiesa all back in action. Slot said ahead of the Merseyside derby that all three are “close” to making their respective returns.

Liverpool are set to be without Ibrahima Konate, Conor Bradley and Kostas Tsimikas for a little while longer.

Alexis Mac Allister serves a one-game suspension on Tuesday night which means Dominik Szoboszlai is likely to come back into the side after dropping to the bench last Wednesday against Newcastle.

Liverpool predicted lineup vs Girona (4-2-3-1): Kelleher; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Jones; Salah, Szoboszlai, Gakpo; Diaz.

A Liverpool team off the back of a gruelling derby in windy conditions would’ve been a tough enough test for Girona, let alone one that didn’t have to play at the weekend.

The Reds presented vulnerabilities during their recent draw at Newcastle, but such flaws are unlikely to be exploited by Girona on Tuesday. The Spaniards aren’t blessed with the athletes or physical specimens in the middle of the park to shackle the visitors.

This should be a routine victory for the away side and Slot will doubtlessly be keen to get the job done early in order to rest a few ahead of Saturday’s duel with Fulham.

Prediction: Girona 1-4 Liverpool

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