Espanyol vs Girona prediction 16.01.2026 | La Liga

The 2025/26 season could be the best for Espanyol in this century. They are only four points behind the top four teams in La Liga, but in the previous two matches in which Espanyol collected only one point, it was obvious that Los Pericos are losing their pace. While the defeat to Barcelona was largely anticipated, Manolo Gonzalez's side underperformed in the 1–1 draw away from home against Levante. Once again, Espanyol had too many problems in attack, so they left Valencia with only one point.

Espanyol lost two points against Levante due to a failed offside trap, but the head coach, Manolo Gonzalez, was still satisfied with a draw. He said, "I think it was fair. We could have won, but so could they, and the draw is commendable for both teams. The team competed well, but we struggled to get into the game. I'm happy because we went out there to win, but disappointed about the goal we conceded."

Espanyol could have a full squad available for Friday's match against Girona. The only one who is questionable is Javi Puado.

Last season, Girona barely avoided relegation, and their primary goal for the current campaign is to avoid another relegation dogfight. After half of the season, Girona are four points above the drop zone and will have to do better in the next few months. Michel's team has found their rhythm lately, as they won three of the last four matches. In the most recent outing, Girona won 1-0 at home against Osasuna. The hosts ended with an xG of 0.65, while the guests had 1.40, so Michel's team could feel pretty fortunate to pick up another victory. 

Girona are the worst defensive team in La Liga, with 34 conceded goals in 19 matches. Michel's team still didn't make any transfers in the January transfer window, but we should expect some additions in defense. A few days ago, a report came out that Girona could loan Marc-Andre ter Stegen from Barcelona. We will probably hear much more about that in the coming weeks. 

Girona have big problems with missing players. Lancinet Kourouma received red card in the previous La Liga round and will not play on Friday night. Also, Ricard Artero, Juan Carlos, Azzedine Ounahi, Portu, Alex Witsel, and Donny van de Beek are unavailable due to injuries.