
Barcelona will be looking to bounce back from their shock defeat against Sevilla when they face Girona on Saturday. The visitors head to Barcelona in a more confident mood after beating Valencia and extending their unbeaten run to three.
Can lightning strike twice? Nathan Joyes talks you through this La Liga match, providing his betting tip and some of the best La Liga betting odds.
After Barcelona's 4-1 defeat on the road against Sevilla, this was the first time the club have lost back-to-back games in 2025. However, it's worth noting the last time they suffered consecutive defeats Barcelona went on a 24 match unbeaten run - winning 20 of those.
So write Barcelona off at your peril. And it's also worth mentioning that Robert Lewandowski missed a penalty to make it 2-2 with 15 minutes to play, only for Sevilla to score twice in added time.
Perhaps the scoreline was harsher than it reads to the naked eye. The international break came at an ideal time, allowing Barcelona to reset. Because before those defeats, they were almost foot perfect domestically - and Hansi Flick has the chance to prove it was merely a blip this weekend.
After seven matches without a win, Girona finally got up and running with a 2-1 win against Valencia prior to the international break.
Having suffered a handful of heavy defeats this season - including a 5-0 hammering vs Villarreal and 4-0 vs Levante - Girona head to Barcelona slightly more stable after two draws and a win.
However, discipline has been a problem. Girona have received five red cards already this campaign, and both Ivan Martin and Alejandro Frances (who wasn't even on the pitch) both miss the trip due to red cards last time out.
If Girona are to keep their heads above water this season, their professionalism needs to improve.
This is a fixture that produces a high volume of goals. The last four have produced over 4.5 goals, with two of those going over the 5.5 line. Interestingly, Girona have won two of the last five (W2 D1 L2) - but their team has drastically changed in the last two years - and their 4-1 loss last season is more of a fair reflection of the two squads.
With Barcelona not known for losing two in a row, Nathan Joyes is expecting quite the reaction from Flick's side against an ill-disciplined Girona outfit. Read on to find his best bet.
To answer my earlier question. Yes, lightning does strike twice - but it's rare, and it'll take a miracle for Girona to win against Barcelona this weekend.
They may have picked up of late, but the calibre of opposition they have faced have been nothing that can match Barcelona's quality. The Sevilla result for the reigning champions was far from ideal, but Flick will be demanding an instant reaction - and the German will get one.
But with Barcelona priced as short as 1/5 with Betfred, we're going to look elsewhere for a winning bet.
The reaction will be from the first minute, and for Barcelona to win HT/FT is a better angle than the outright win. That landed comfortably against Getafe (3-0) and Valencia (6-0) at home this season.
I'll bulk out the price with over 2 goals - a bet that has been very popular between these two sides in recent years. Good luck for those following.
TIP: Barcelona HT/FT and over 2.5 goals at 4/5 with BetMGM.
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