Final day hat-trick has Girona’s Artem Dovbyk in pole position in Pichichi Trophy showdown | OneFootball

MD38 of the La Liga 2023-24 season kicked off in fine style on Friday evening, with Girona hitting already-relegated Granada with a 7-0 scoreline at Montilivi. The big takeaway from the fixture was another La Liga hat-trick for Artem Dovbyk, who is now in pole position to win the Pichichi Trophy in his debut campaign in Spanish football.

Dovbyk started the weekend trailing Villarreal’s Alexander Sorloth by two goals, but by scoring three himself (and registering an assist for Cristhian Stuani), the Ukrainian marksman has moved on to 24 in La Liga, with Sorloth just behind on 23.

Dovbyk has done all he can, and he will be relying on Osasuna keeping Sorloth quiet on Saturday afternoon. The Norwegian requires two goals to leapfrog Dovbyk and win his first Pichichi, as the tie-breaker is likely to go the way of the Girona player, as he currently has two more assists.

It remains to be seen how Sorloth gets on against Osasuna. His Villarreal teammates will be desperately trying to service him at El Sadar, while Girona and Dovbyk will hope for a staunch defence from Jagoba Arrasate’s side.