Girona vs Atletico Madrid 10/01/19

10 January 2019

The first of two legs of the Copa del Rey Round of 16 that will take place Estadio Municipal de Montilivi will see a struggling Girona side tackling Atletico Madrid.

The hosts have gone from two straight defeats to two consecutive draws as they hope to end a frustrating spell against one of the best teams in the Spanish top flight. However, the Blanquivermell are unbeaten in five successive home games in all competitions (W2, D3) with two of those stalemates ending in the identical 1-1 scoreline. Girona’s main problem relates to their poor defensive outputs that have seen them concede in eight of their last nine home encounters although allowing over 1.5 goals per match just three times in the process. Meanwhile, the Gironistes have scored one goal or less in four of the previous seven home meetings, failing to hit the back of the net twice in the run.

On the other hand, the visitors are unbeaten in their last 14 competitive outings (W9, D5), with their last defeat dating back to late October. Although undefeated on the past six road trips in all competitions, Los Colchoneros have achieved just two victories, with three of their four draws in that period ending 1-1. Atletico’s problems in the final third have seen them score over 1.5 goals per match just once on their previous nine road trips. Furthermore, Diego Simeone’s men have struggled to secure all three points on the last two visits to the Estadio Municipal de Montilivi, being held to a pair of draws.

What’s more, all three matches between the two since Girona joined top flight have ended without a winner.