The arrival of Francisco has meant fresh air for a dressing room overcome by pressure and decayed by the impotence to see how he was unable to approach the places of direct ascent and at the same time rivals for the play-off they approached strongly. The club did not see the situation at all clearly and this made it wind again, the third of the season, with the dismissal of Pep Lluís Martí and the hiring of Francisco. The new coach made good on that and made his debut with a very good foot last Friday against Zaragoza (1-0). A necessary victory and, above all, sensations that had not been seen for a long time. Solidity, direct play, intensity and hunger allowed Girona to beat Zaragoza, a clear candidate to go straight up. Flower of a day? It will be seen today. Girona visit the very complicated field of Sporting with the mission of improving some terrible numbers as a visitor and get a victory that will confirm the step forward made on Friday. Three points would mean a giant sip of morale and confidence in this final straight of the season; tying would not be bad to continue making way for the play-off but falling today would turn off the alarms again and force you to pay close attention to the rearview mirror where a good bunch of equipment is packed.
Francisco recovers Christian Rivera, once the sanction is fulfilled, and Jairo Izquierdo, goes down against Zaragoza for personal reasons. Their discharges prevented Santi Bueno and the young Kebé from moving to Gijón. The goal on Asturian soil was made clear yesterday by Francisco: to win. It doesn’t matter if two wins in a row, if the away team is unreliable or if there is a chance of getting close to direct promotion; the mentality of the Andalusian coach is not to think beyond the game he plays. For now, it worked against Zaragoza. Of course, yesterday Huesca lost …
Beyond the enthusiasm that has been generated in the environment -it is also true that anything can happen in football-, Girona must first be a reliable team away from home. One game is not enough to know if Girona has suddenly become a super team. More tests and basically results are needed. Today’s exam in Gijón will confirm whether the team has clicked and activated or is once again the fragile and vulnerable team that collects misery away from Montilivi throughout the season.
Changes can be seen in the starting eleven in a very demanding week with three games (today in Gijón, Thursday against Almeria and Sunday in Lugo). Stuani will not rest because he is the determining factor of a team that Francisco wants other decisive players to come out of. Samu Sáiz is one and Borja García is another. Still, one of the two could start off the bench. The Asturian Rivera could regain a place at eleven in place of Gumbau or Granell while Valery can leave Aday on the bench. In short, Francisco seems more open than Martí to tweak the starting eleven.
Meanwhile in Gijón they dream of a good result that will allow Sporting to get fully involved in the fight for play-off. The Asturians have 49 points, 6 behind Girona, who are in sixth place. Miroslav Djukic cannot have two starting men today due to a suspension: right-back Molinero and midfielder Aitor García, who scored Sporting’s goal in Montilivi on the first day of the league, will soon be a year old (1-1). The Asturians also have the injuries of Bogdan Milovanov and Hernán Santana.
Today will be the ninth time that Girona has visited Molinón during its history between Second Division and Copa del Rey matches. So far, the Girona team has never won in Gijón. The clashes ended with 7 defeats and a single draw (1-1), precisely in the last visit (14-15) with a goal from Girona by David Juncà in the added.
On the other hand, the Federation made official the referees of the next day, in which Girona will receive Almeria on Thursday in Montilivi. The person in charge of directing the match will be the Castilian-Leonese De la Fuente Ramos with the canary Pulido Santana in the VAR. For this match, Almeria will have Ivan Balliu out. The Caldes de Malavella winger was sent off on Saturday against Tenerife and will not play.
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