Girona is aware that their Champions League match against Liverpool on Tuesday presents an opportunity to play against a good team before their hopes of qualifying for Europe fade. Before their competitive debut, coach Michel Sanchez declared, “We have reached a place which was a dream for us, a dream that we must all enjoy.” With four losses from their first five games and one victory, Girona is currently in 30th place in the group table, making it clear that playing at the highest level of European football may be too much for them.
The three games left for Girona are maybe their hardest, aside from their close 1-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the opening encounter.
Following their visit from six-time champions Liverpool, they will play AC Milan in Italy before hosting Arsenal in their final group game.
In recent weeks, Arne Slot’s Liverpool have defeated Spanish champion Real Madrid and English champion Manchester City to take the top spot in both the Premier League and Champions League standings. The latter resulted in their fifth Champions League victory in five games.
Girona came very close to losing to Madrid in the La Liga title fight last season, but they lost in the end.
Sanchez’s team delighted with their outstanding play in their fourth season in the top division of Spain, defeating then-champions Barcelona twice.
But even before the harsh summer sales put them back, they were unable to compete with the best, as seen by their two crushing losses to Real Madrid, 3-0 at home and 4-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Sanchez had to rebuild after Girona lost many key players, including winger Savinho, playmaker Aleix Garcia, and target man Artem Dovbyk.
In addition to the team’s severe injury problems, it took some time for new players like Bryan Gil, Abel Ruiz, and Donny van de Beek to settle in.
With a whole starting lineup out a few weeks ago, competing on two fronts rather than simply in La Liga has put a strain on resources.
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