Raba's Renaissance: Struggling Leganés Seek First Victory Against Girona

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April 24, 2025

CD Leganés - Girona FC

As CD Leganés welcomes Girona FC to Butarque for their LaLiga Matchday 33 clash on Thursday, April 24, 2025, the hosts are attempting to break their historical drought against their Catalan visitors.

The Madrid-based side has never tasted victory against Girona in LaLiga, failing to win any of their five previous encounters (2 draws, 3 losses). Girona represents one of just four top-flight opponents that Leganés have never defeated, alongside Real Madrid, Eibar, and Sporting Gijón.

Even more concerning for the home fans, Leganés' struggles against Girona extend beyond LaLiga to all competitions, having never won in six home matches against them (3 draws, 3 losses) - including encounters in both LaLiga and LaLiga Hypermotion.

Current form doesn't inspire much confidence for the hosts either. Leganés are enduring a six-match winless streak in LaLiga (2 draws, 4 losses), their second-longest such run this season after an eight-game drought between August and October 2024.

One bright spot for the "pepineros" has been the recent goalscoring form of Dani Raba, who has netted four of Leganés' last five LaLiga goals. With seven goals in 23 games this season, Raba is approaching club history, as only three players have ever scored more for Leganés in a single top-flight campaign: Alexander Szymanowski (8 in 2016/17), Óscar Rodríguez (9 in 2019/20), and Youssef En-Nesyri (9 in 2018/19).

Girona, meanwhile, brings their own set of challenges into this fixture. The Catalan side has struggled on the road lately, failing to win any of their last six LaLiga away games (1 draw, 5 losses). They face the prospect of setting an unwanted club record if they fail to win at Butarque, as they've never gone seven or more away games without a victory in a single top-flight season.

The visitors have also shown defensive vulnerability from distance this season, conceding a league-high 11 goals from outside the box - their highest total of such goals in a top-flight campaign.

Thursday fixtures have historically favored both sides. Leganés has lost just one of their five LaLiga games played on Thursdays (3 wins, 1 draw), with their sole defeat coming against Athletic Bilbao in September 2024. Girona, meanwhile, remains unbeaten in their last five Thursday LaLiga matches (2 wins, 3 draws).

Girona forward Cristian Portugués "Portu" has particularly enjoyed facing Leganés, scoring three goals in three games against them in LaLiga. Only against Celta Vigo (4) has he scored more for Girona in the competition.

Girona manager Míchel Sánchez also brings a positive recent record against Leganés into this fixture, having gone unbeaten in his last three matches against them across all competitions (2 wins, 1 draw), after losing three of his previous four encounters with the "pepineros."

As for the Madrid effect, Girona has struggled when visiting teams from Spain's capital region, losing six of their last eight away games against Comunidad de Madrid clubs in LaLiga (1 win, 1 draw) - one more defeat than in their previous 14 away matches against these sides in the competition.

As these two teams clash at Butarque, Leganés' quest for a historic first win against Girona meets the visitors' determination to end their away day blues in what promises to be an intriguing LaLiga encounter.

Thank you to OPTA for providing the statistical data.

Photo: source XYZ