Athletic Bilbao vs Girona 11/12/18

11 December 2018

Athletic Bilbao will welcome Girona to the Estadio San Mamés following an impressive 4-0 road win over Huesca in the second leg of the fourth round of Copa del Rey.

Although they hammered Huesca in Copa del Rey by eight goals to nil on aggregate, Los Leones are having a hard time in La Liga this season. Winless in their last 13 league matches, the Rojiblancos have struggled to wrap up all three points in the Spanish top tier since a 2-1 home victory over Leganes on the opening matchday. San Mamés has not been the fortress Athletic Bilbao fans would have hoped for this season, considering Gaizka Garitano’s men have suffered two defeats in their last four home clashes. What’s more, the Basque-based outfit has barely managed to keep one clean sheet in seven home games this campaign, conceding 11 goals in the run.

Meanwhile, the visitors have endured a difficult period during which they have failed to secure a victory in five successive La Liga outings, as they come into this encounter after dodging a failure in seven straight competitive games. Unbeaten in their last six league matches, the Blanquivermell are looking to stretch their two-game road winning streak following two promising wins over Valencia and Espanyol. The Gironistes are the only team in the Spanish top flight that is yet to suffer a defeat away from home this campaign, as they won three out of six road meetings while being held to three draws in the process. Furthermore, with just four goals conceded and three clean sheets, Eusebio Sacristan’s players hold the best defensive record in La Liga at the moment when it comes to road encounters.

Provisional line-up – Athletic Bilbao:

Gk: Herrerin Defense: Inigo Martinez – San Jose – Ganea – Capa – Unai Nunez Midfield: Oscar de Marcos – Benat Attack: Muniain – Inaki Williams – Aduriz

Provisional line-up – Girona:

Gk: Bono Defense: Espinosa – Ramalho – Juanpe – Pedro Porro Midfield: Aleix Garcia – Borja Garcia – Pere Pons – Alex Granell Attack: Roberts – Stuani