Our prediction for this Segunda Division match:
Saturday’s football game at Estadio Anxo Carro pits together Lugo and Girona, the two teams who are level on points in the La Liga 2 standings. Lugo aim to put an end to their three-match winless run, but this game will be anything but a walk in the park for the home team. Veteran attacker Manuel Barreiro, who limped off with injury in the 1-1 draw with Leganes, is unlikely to feature against Girona.
The Catalans, on the other hand, aim to bounce back from a 2-1 loss to Almeria. Christian Stuani has been struggling to find his best form ever since he suffered a serious injury last season, and seeing that Girona are not regarded as good travelers, we are tempted to put our money on draw. In their last meeting in the Spanish second tier the two sides played out a 1-1 draw.
Highlighted Player (Manu Barreiro):
Manu Barreiro is a professional player who was born on 8 July, 1986 in Compostela, Spain. Barreiro is a product of Real Madrid youth school, but he played for Valencia during his youth career as well. He made three appearances for Valencia B, but in 2005 he joined Lalin.
He played for the likes of Algeciras, Cadiz, Jerez, Zamora, Cerceda, Pontevera and Ferrol in lower leagues as well and on 27 June 2014 he signed a contract with Segunda Division side Alaves. He scored 11 goals for the club in the 2014/2015 campaign and he netted five goals in 32 appearances for El Glorioso in the 2015/2016 Segunda Division campaign, helping the team secure promotion to La Liga.
Manu Barreiro won Segunda Division B with Cadiz in the 2008/2009 season. Manu Barreiro is a centre forward, but he is capable of playing as a left winger as well. His contract with Alaves expires on 30 June, 2017.
Highlighted Team (Girona):
After several unsuccessful attempts, finally secured promotion to Primera Division at the end of the 2016/2017 season. The Catalan outfit finished the campaign in second place in the standings, 14 points behind Levante and only two clear of third-placed Getafe. Girona play their home games at Montilivi and the capacity of the venue is 9.286.
Speaking of the club history, Girona were founded in the café Norat in La Rambla of Girona on July 23, 1930 and they played their first official game against Colonia Artigas. A number of Spanish coaches were in charge of the team in the past, but it has to be noted that Uruguayan tactician Dagoberto Moll (1965/1966) and Karoly Plattko (1948/1949) of Hungary were in charge of the club as well.
The Catalan team wear white shirts with red stripes when playing at home, while the colour of their shorts is blue. The team’s away kits are blue and black and Sporting Gijon are considered one of Girona’s fiercest rivals.