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Girona welcome Almeria to Estadi Montilivi in the first leg of the Spanish Segunda Division playoffs on Wednesday.
The clubs will be meeting in the semi-finals of the playoffs for the second season in a row.
Last year, Girona moved into the finals, where they were defeated by Elche 1-0 on aggregate to miss out on promotion to La Liga. The hosts are unbeaten in their last eight games in the Segunda Division, which helped them secure a spot in the playoffs.
Almeria won their last two games of the regular season, including a 2-0 win over Sporting Gijon, which prevented the Asturian side from finishing in the top six.
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Also See: 10 best players in La Liga this season (2020-21)
Girona vs Almeria Head-to-Head
The two clubs have faced each other 16 times across all competitions. Almeria have a better record in their meetings at the moment and have recorded eight wins so far.
The home side have just three wins to their name against the Andalusian side and all three victories came in the 2019-20 campaign. One came in the regular season at Wednesday's venue while the remaining two were in the playoff semi-finals.
The two meetings this season produced a goalless draw at the Estadio Mediterráneo and a 1-0 win for Almeria at the Estadi Montilivi in March.
Girona form guide in Segunda Division: D-W-W-W-W
Almeria form guide in Segunda Division: W-W-L-D-W
Girona vs Almeria Team News
Girona
The only injury concern for the hosts at the moment is top-scorer Cristhian Stuani. The Uruguayan striker picked up a hamstring strain in the 1-0 win over Malaga and has missed two games since.
The player will remain in Spain for his recovery and won't join up with the Uruguay national team for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers. He has been ruled out for 10 days.
Injury: Cristhian Stuani
Suspension: None
Almeria
There are no injury or suspension concerns for the visiting side in the first-leg tie.
Injury: None
Suspension: None
Girona vs Almeria Predicted XI
Girona Predicted XI (4-4-2): Juan Carlos; Jordi Calavera, Bernardo Espinosa, Santiago Bueno, Enric Franquesa; Yan Couto, Ibrahima Kebe, Ramon Terrats, Valery Fernandez; Nahuel Bustos, Monchu
Almeria Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Fernando Martinez; Aitor Bunuel, Cesar De La Hoz, Chumi, Sergio Akieme; Samuel Costa, Radav Petrovic; Ager Aketxe, Fran Villalba, José Corpas; Umar Sadiq
Girona vs Almeria Prediction
Almeria were the second-highest scoring side in the regular season, finding the back of the net 61 times while Girona scored 47 goals. The two clubs had a similar defensive record during the season.
Girona have been in incredible form since April and have gone unbeaten in their last eight league games. They conceded just two goals in that period. Almeria have dropped points five times in the same period.
Given Blanquivermell's current form, they are the favorites to earn three points from the game. We expect Girona to win, but they will not be able to keep a clean sheet against Almeria.
Prediction: Girona 2-1 Almeria
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