Girona v Liverpool: Reds to stay perfect at Montilivi with an odds-against best bet | OneFootball

Michel has done an amazing job at Girona, but this season has been tough

Liverpool haven't put a foot wrong in the Champions League yet, and Kevin Hatchard expects them to stay top of the pile with a win at struggling Girona.

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Girona v LiverpoolTuesday 10 December, 17:45

Patched-up Girona struggling in rarefied air

Girona shocked everyone by qualifying for the Champions League for the first time in their history, but footballing gravity has a habit of kicking in, and the Catalan club is on the downturn. They lost 3-0 at home to Real Madrid in La Liga at the weekend, just days after crashing out of the Copa del Rey to lower league Logrones on penalties after a goalless draw.

It's not surprising that Michel's men are struggling this time around. They lost top scorer Artem Dovbyk to Roma in the summer, midfielder Aleix Garcia defected to Bayer Leverkusen, full-back Yan Couto is now at Borussia Dortmund, and rising star Pablo Torre went back to parent club Barcelona. To make matters worse, Ukrainian winger Viktor Tsygankov and midfielder Yangel Herrera are injured.

Given their personnel issues, it's no surprise that Girona have struggled to make the step up to the Champions League. They have lost four of their five league phase games, with the only exception a home win against hapless Slovan Bratislava. Girona are currently three points adrift of the qualification spots for the knockout phase.

Perfect Liverpool have had a rare rest

While the postponement of Saturday's Merseyside derby due to Storm Darragh will lead to fixture congestion down the track, it's given Liverpool a chance to regroup and reset. They are four points clear at the top of the Premier League with a game in hand, and in the Champions League they have won all five of their matches. The champions of England, Germany and Spain have all fallen under the Reds' sword.

Since stepping up to replace Jürgen Klopp as manager, former Feyenoord boss Arne Slot has won all but three of his competitive games, and has only suffered one defeat. Last week's 3-3 draw at Newcastle United was frustrating due to the concession of a preventable late equaliser, but the Reds had to twice come from behind, and Slot was happy to put a positive spin on the result.

That draw at the Magpies was yet another example of Mohamed Salah excelling in what could be his final season at Anfield. He scored twice in the second half, and has now netted 15 goals in 21 competitive appearances. He is consistently finding the net on the road - the Egyptian has scored braces in his last two away games in the league, and has scored at least once in six of his ten road matches in all competitions.

Of course, it isn't just Salah who is stepping up. Virgil van Dijk has been the Premier League's outstanding centre-back this season, while Ibrahima Konate has proven to be a fantastic partner for him.

Ryan Gravenberch has excelled as a defensive midfielder (proving that pulling the panic lever in the transfer market doesn't always make sense), Curtis Jones has continued his development, Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo are banging in goals (nine and eight respectively in all competitions), and it's very difficult to truly pick holes in what has been a fine squad-wide effort. Despite a costly howler at Newcastle, Caoimhin Kelleher has been an outstanding back-up keeper for Allison throughout 2024.

Midfielder Alexis Mac Allister is suspended for this game, while Konate, Conor Bradley and Alisson are still on the sidelines.

Salah to shine once again

With a full week of preparation and given how Girona have struggled at this level, Liverpool are absolutely fair favourites here, so I'll start a Bet Builder by backing a Liverpool win. I'll add in Over 1.5 Goals (that has paid out in 18 of Liverpool's 21 competitive games), and Mo Salah to score or assist. Salah has 14 goals and 12 assists across the Premier League and Champions League this season.

There's also an argument to back No in the BTTS market at 2.22. Girona have failed to score in three of their last four competitive matches, and if you stretch back a bit further they've drawn a blank in six of their last 12 outings. Liverpool have kept clean sheets in seven of their last 13 games. You could back Liverpool to win to nil at 2.76, but I'd like to keep some other results in our camp.

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