Football Bet of the Day: Girona not ready to give in

Girona are still firmly in the La Liga title race and the White and Reds now have to fend off the challenge of Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night.

Atleti are seven points adrift off Girona and Real Madrid at the top of the Spanish top flight and Diego Simeone will no doubt be eyeing the opportunity to move closer to their title rivals.

Girona head into 2024 as La Liga’s leading scorers, and whether they hold onto their position or not, it’s bound to be an entertaining ride.

Girona are in an unfamiliar position at the top of the La Liga table, and while title odds of 11/2 suggest the expectation is that the White and Reds will fall away, there has been little sign of that happening any time soon.

Míchel’s men were held to a 1-1 draw at Betis last time out, but there was no discernible drop in performance level in Seville and Girona were pegged back only by a last-gasp Betis equaliser.

The Catalonia side have lost only one of their 20 matches this season in all competitions. Michel has led his side to a 4-2 victory over Barcelona at the Camp Nou and the White and Reds have resisted the challenge of Valencia, Athletic and Sociedad this term.

It’s not just the 16 victories in 20 matches that is impressive from Girona, as they are the highest-scoring side in the Spanish top flight and that’s a good indication that Michel’s men are where they deserve to be.

Atletico are a good side, but they are certainly not the force of old and their chances of victory at the Estadio Municipal de Montilivi appear to have been overrated.

Atleti have won only one of their last five away matches and Simeone's side have been beaten by Barcelona, bashed in Bilbao and losers to Las Palmas in their last three La Liga road trips.

Atletico have scored only one goal in their last three Spanish top-flight away games, and while Colchoneros scored three times in a 3-1 win over Feyenoord in the Champions League in between those domestic reverses, that trio of strikes came from only three shots on target.

Midfielders Pablo Barrios and Thomas Lemar remain on the sidelines for the visitors and Atleti are further weakened by the suspension of center-back Caglar Soyuncu.

Girona have scored 13 goals in their last four matches and it’s hard to see how Simeone’s men can resist the firepower of the White and Reds. There certainly seems to be plenty of upside to taking the 6/4 on offer about a home victory on Wednesday night.

You can find our latest Football Bet of the Day over at Betfred Insights