Almeria play host to Girona at the Power Horse Stadium with just one point separating the two teams which were newly-promoted to La Liga last season.
The hosts enter the contest off a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Real Betis at the weekend, but will be looking to bounce back on home turf against a visiting side who are winless in four matches.
A 4-0 defeat to Athletic Club made it four losses on the bounce since the depature of star striker Umar Sadiq, without a goal being scored in that poor run.
However, a 3-1 win over Rayo Vallecano two weeks ago, inspired by Adrian Embarba, made it easy that the loss of their prolific Nigerian striker would be a fatal blow to Almeria survival campaign.
Despite the defeat to Real Betis at the weekend, Almeria registered their highest expected goals figure since a 2-1 victory over Sevilla in August.
Returning home to take on a beatable side here, Rubi’s side will feel confident of claiming a second consecutive home victory to put further distance between themselves and the bottom three.
Meanwhile, Girona have been struggling to turn positive attacking performances into wins in recent occasions, with three defeats and a draw in their last four matches seeing them slowly drop down the league standings.
Following a tough run of matches against Real Betis, Real Sociedad and Atletico Madrid, a game against Cadiz looked to be a great opportunity to bounce back to winning ways.
However, a 1-1 draw with their relegation-threatened opponents, only secured with a 102nd-minute penalty from Cristhian Stuani, felt slightly underwhelming after previously promising attacking signs.
Girona are yet to win a game away from home this season, and a trip to fellow promoted side represents an opportunity for the Catalan side to break an increasingly concerning habit.
Almeria vs Girona head to head
These two teams have previously met on 20 occasions, where Almeria have claimed nine victories while Girona have won five, and they have drawn in six. Girona have scored 17 goals and conceded 22 in the process. In their last five meetings, they have each won twice while drawing once.
Girona 0-1 Almeria 07/03/21
Girona 3-0 Almeria 02/06/21
Almeria 0-0 Girona 05/06/21
Girona 1-2 Almeria 04/10/21
Almeria 0-1 Girona 27/03/22
Almeria latest home form
Almeria have recently failed to keep a good run of form at home, having won just three of their six most recent matches. They managed to defeat Rayo Vallecano 3-1 in their last home game in the league. In their last five matches, they have scored seven goals and conceded five.
Almeria 1-0 FC Cartagena 05/08/22
Almeria 1-2 Real Madrid 14/08/22
Almeria 2-1 Sevilla 27/08/22
Almeria 0-1 Osasuna 12/09/22
Almeria 3-1 Rayo Vallecano 08/10/22
Almeria latest away form
Almeria have recently failed to keep a good run of form on the road, having lost each of their four most recent matches. They lost 3-1 to Real Betis in their last away game in the league. In their last five matches, they have scored just two goals and conceded 10.
Elche 1-1 Almeria 22/08/22
Real Valladolid 1-0 Almeria 05/09/22
Mallorca 1-0 Almeria 17/09/22
Athletic Bilbao 4-0 Almeria 30/09/22
Real Betis 3-1 Almeria 16/10/22
Girona latest home form
Girona have recently failed to keep a good run of form at home, having won just two of their six most recent matches. They drew 1-1 with Cadiz in their last home game in the league. In their last five matches, they have scored nine goals and also conceded nine.
Girona 3-1 Getafe 22/08/22
Girona 0-1 Celta Vigo 26/08/22
Girona 2-1 Real Valladolid 09/09/22
Girona 3-5 Real Sociedad 02/10/22
Girona 1-1 Cadiz 15/10/22
Girona latest away form
Girona have recently failed to keep a good run of form on the road, having been winless in their seven most recent matches. They lost 2-1 to Atletico Madrid in their last away game in the league. In their last five matches, they have scored four goals and conceded nine.
Napoli 3-1 Girona 03/08/22
Valencia 1-0 Girona 14/08/22
Mallorca 1-1 Girona 03/09/22
Real Betis 2-1 Girona 18/09/22
Atletico Madrid 2-1 Girona 08/10/22
Almeria news
Almeria will be without several defensive options, with Chumi, Alex Centelles and Juanjo Nieto all ruled out once again.
Goalkeeper Fernando Pacheco is yet to play for his side, but could be given his first opportunity on Thursday, while Alejandro Pozo could take the place of Houboulang Mendes at right-back.
Girona news
Girona will once again have to make do without the services of long-term absentees David Lopez and Reiner due to Achilles and thigh injuries respectively.
Aleix Garcia will continue in the midfield after a string of impressive performances, while Stuani will be pushing for a start after his impact off the bench against Cadiz.
Prediction and Odds
Both side will be desperate for a win, which will make this a cagey affair, with neither side wanting to overcommit and leave themselves in a vulnerable position on the counter.
Almeria have looked better going forward in recent weeks, but due to their defensive absenteesm, we expect a draw.
Odds: 1 2.22 X 2.02 2 2.89
Probable outcomes
Almeria 0-0 Girona
Almeria 1-1 Girona
Almeria 2-2 Girona
Almeria 1-0 Girona
Almeria 2-1 Girona
