Head coach Michel hailed Girona's resilience after they earned a hard-fought 1-0 victory at Getafe on Sunday, despite riding their luck at times. 

Getafe were the better side for much of the contest but Yangel Herrera's towering header in the first half was enough to seal victory for Girona, who were missing 12 first-team players due to injuries.

The visitors only had three shots in total, hitting the target twice, as they accumulated just 0.19 expected goals (xG). While Getafe registered 0.61 xG, they failed to test goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga, allowing Girona to clinch the win with a more clinical performance. 

"Today's performance was not our best, obviously, and everyone could see that, but you have to appreciate how the boys defended," Michel told DAZN.

"God knows how many crosses they attempted, they had eight shots, and we kept most off the target. That's great defending. With the only real chance we created in the game, it was a goal. We knew it was going to be difficult.

"They are a team that presses well, they have done it to all teams and that's why they were undefeated at home. We've been very competitive, as you need to be to win here."

Girona earned back-to-back league wins for the first time in more than two months, and sit 10th in LaLiga going into the international break. It was also an important win for them, having suffered a 4-0 defeat to PSV in the Champions League earlier last week.

Michel said he is hoping the two-week rest they will have in the international break will help them get some of their key players back from injury, such as Abel Ruiz, Arnaut Danjuma, Viktor Tsygankov or Yaser Asprilla, among others.

"That's our reality and that's why those were three very, very valuable points. The way the team is at the moment, we need to rest and get some of the boys back," Michel said.

"I think after the international break we're going to have, I hope, fingers crossed, more players available, and today it was very important to get a positive result."

Yangel Herrera's header late in the first half proved enough for Girona to see off Getafe 1-0 on Sunday.

It means Girona have won back-to-back LaLiga games for just the second time this season.

Herrera headed home in the 42nd minute of a match devoid of much in the way of attacking quality from either team.

Indeed, there were just 11 shots throughout, with Getafe having eight and Girona three, with the hosts failing to get any of their attempts on target.

Between them, the teams combined for just 0.52 expected goals (xG) - 0.33 for Getafe and 0.19 for Girona.

The result lifted struggling Girona to 18 points and into ninth place, with Getafe 17th on 10 points.

Data Debrief: Heads up for Herrera

Herrera's goal was his second in the league this season, with his first having also been a header.

Only Thierno Barry (three) has scored more headed goals in LaLiga this term.

Getafe, meanwhile, have won only one of their 13 matches in LaLiga in 2024-25, which matches their worst record at this stage of a season, set in 2021-22.

Michel says it is easier to pick Girona's starting line-ups due to their mounting injury problems, as the players struggle to cope with the packed schedule.

Girona, who had never qualified for the Champions League in their 94-year history, secured a place in the European competition by finishing third in Laliga last season.

But playing matches across competitions with minimal time to rest has taken its toll, with Girona sitting 12th in LaLiga ahead of Sunday's trip to Getafe.

They have won just four matches in LaLiga this season, and only notched one victory in four Champions League matches, suffering a heavy 4-0 defeat to PSV on Wednesday in what was Michel's 150th game in charge of Girona. 

"It's very easy to make the lineup, but it's very difficult to manage the games," he told reporters. "There is always a risk of injury, we cannot do rhythmic training and we have played every three days.

"It's complicated for everyone, but you have to face it with mentality and personality. The most important thing is to always be ourselves."

Last season's surprise package Girona have so far struggled to find form this campaign along with rising injury concerns.

Jhon Solis, Portu, Yaser Asprilla, Ivan Martin, Abel Ruiz, Viktor Tsygankov, Arnaut Danjuma, Gabriel Misehouy and Alejandro Frances are either doubts or unlikely to travel to Coliseum Stadium due to injuries.

Girona are coming off a 4-3 win over Leganés in their last LaLiga fixture and are looking to make it two wins in a row in the competition this season for only the second time, after doing so in early September (W2).

However, they have three draws and five losses in 12 league games, but Michel blamed himself for the team's underwhelming performances.

"The players always give their best on the pitch, but sometimes it is not enough to win games, like the other day in PSV," Michel said.

"When we lose, it's my responsibility. Playing every three days is difficult for everyone, but we have to face it with personality."

Despite Barcelona maintaining their perfect start to the LaLiga season with a 1-0 win over Getafe on Wednesday, head coach Hansi Flick insisted they can improve.

Robert Lewandowski's 19th-minute strike was enough to secure the win for the Blaugrana, but the hosts should have won by a more comfortable scoreline. 

At the end of the contest, Barca accumulated an expected goals (xG) total of 1.92 from their 15 shots, but only four of those were on target. 

But Flick, who became the third Barca coach to win his first seven LaLiga games after Gerardo Martino in 2013 and Ernesto Valverde in 2017, insisted his side were still very much a work in progress. 

"To get seven wins is perfect, but we have to do some things better," Flick said. 

"Today we had a very good mentality. For me it's a good starting point to improve. 

"I've been told that it's always like that against Getafe, they are very good in defence, but I'm very proud of my players and how they fought for 95 minutes."

The result saw Barca extend their lead to rivals Real Madrid at the summit of the standings to four points ahead of facing Osasuna this weekend. 

It was also a straightforward game for the hosts' stand-in goalkeeper Inaki Pena, who kept a clean sheet and was forced to make just one save during the contest. 

Pena replaced Marc-Andre ter Stegen between the sticks after the German international came off injured during Barca's 5-1 win over Villarreal last week. 

The extent of Ter Stegen's injury was confirmed shortly after, with the 32-year-old undergoing knee surgery on Monday and he is now expected to miss the rest of the season. 

Reports suggest that Barca are considering welcoming Wojciech Szczesny as an emergency back-up, despite the Pole calling time on his career earlier this year. 

However, Flick refused to discuss those rumours linking Szczesny to a shock move to the Camp Nou. 

"I only speak of the players we have in the team. Inaki Pena is our number one goalkeeper and I'm happy. This is what it's worth," Flick said.

"We have Inaki Pena who is 25-years-old but the rest of the goalkeepers are very young, so if something happens we have to have experience."

Robert Lewandowski's first-half strike proved enough as LaLiga leaders Barcelona overcame Getafe 1-0 on Wednesday.

Hansi Flick's side were wasteful at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, but ultimately got over the line to make it seven league wins out of seven matches to start the season.

Barca were without a glut of stars due to injury, with Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who is set to be out for the rest of the season, joining Dani Olmo, Gavi, Frenkie de Jong, Ronald Araujo, Fermin Lopez and Andreas Christensen on the treatment table.

The Blaugrana also rested Pedri, though his absence was not felt as Lewandowski pounced on David Soria's error to put the hosts ahead after 19 minutes.

Barca had 16 attempts in total and mustered 1.92 expected goals, yet could not find a second to put the result beyond all doubt.

Winless Getafe, though, could not make Barca pay as they slipped to a fourth defeat of the season.

Data Debrief: Lewy breaks Getafe duck

Lewandowski's winner was his first goal against Getafe in LaLiga, at the fourth attempt. He had seven shots across his previous three league appearances against them without finding the net.

Flick, meanwhile, is the third Barca coach to win his first seven LaLiga games, after Gerardo Martino in 2013 and Ernesto Valverde in 2017.

Getafe coach Jose Bordalas, on the other hand, has lost 10 of his 13 games against Barca in LaLiga (W1 D2). Only against Real Madrid (11) has he suffered more defeats in the competition.

Christantus Uche's second-half goal earned Getafe a point in a 1-1 draw with Athletic Club to kick off the new LaLiga season.

Oihan Sancet had given the hosts the lead, but despite some late chances from substitute Nico Williams, they could not get off to a winning start.

Uche could have easily given Getafe the lead in the first half after racing in behind Athletic's high line, but he failed to catch the shot cleanly on the bounce as Alex Padilla pushed it away.

Sancet scored the first goal of the 2024-25 campaign just before the half-hour mark, quickly getting it out of his feet to beat David Soria with a pacy shot into the right corner.

Uche did find a way past Padilla in the second half, meeting Luis Milla's cross to head Getafe back on level terms.

Williams could have scored a late winner for Athletic off the bench, but Soria was equal to both of his efforts after he cut inside from the left. 

Data Debrief: Close encounters

Both teams may be up and running with a point, but they may look at this as an opportunity missed.

Athletic have now failed to win their first game of the season in any of the last five campaigns (drawing three, losing two), while Getafe are winless in four such matches in the competition (one draw, two losses).

Sancet has picked up where he left off though, and has now scored three goals in his last five games for Athletic, as many as in his previous 29. 

Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann scored a hat-trick in a 3-0 LaLiga win at Getafe on Wednesday as Diego Simeone's side sealed Champions League qualification.

The France star opened the scoring in the 27th minute from Rodrigo De Paul's throughball and had his second shortly before half-time, flicking Samuel Lino's pinpoint pass past Getafe goalkeeper David Soria.

Griezmann completed his hat-trick in the 51st minute with a fine finish under Soria's legs, with Lino claiming his second assist by playing Los Colchoneros' all-time leading scorer into the area.

It was Griezmann's second hat-trick of the season, after he also netted three times in a 3-0 win at Celta Vigo last October.

With two games remaining, Simeone's side are now on 73 points in fourth, 11 ahead of fifth-placed Athletic Bilbao, who lost 2-1 against Celta Vigo on Wednesday.

Data Debrief: Griezmann repeats the trick

Griezmann is the only player to score two hat-tricks in LaLiga this season, and the only player to net a treble with all three goals coming on his left foot.

He might need to go even further to put himself in Golden Boot contention, though, with his 16 goals for this term putting him behind Artem Dovbyk (20), Jude Bellingham, Alexander Sorloth (both 19) and Robert Lewandowski (17).

Manchester United are keen to sell Mason Greenwood in the upcoming transfer window and could field interest from Barcelona, according to Getafe president Angel Torres.

Greenwood joined Getafe on a season-long loan deal in September and has scored eight goals and added six assists in 29 appearances in LaLiga in 2023-24.

Greenwood was arrested in January 2022 and was later charged with attempted rape and assault, with all charges against him dropped in February 2023.

United then conducted a six-month internal investigation into his conduct and said they recognised "the difficulties with him recommencing his career" with the club.

In February, speculation that Greenwood could yet return to Old Trafford was heightened when new minority shareholder Jim Ratcliffe said a "fresh decision" would be made on his future at the end of the season.

However, Getafe chief Torres claims the Red Devils are now keen to cash in on a player he hopes to keep at the Estadio Coliseum.

"If it depended on the player, his parents and the club, I think he would continue for another year," Torres said of Greenwood in an interview with RadioMARCA on Tuesday.

"Manchester United's idea is to sell if there is a good offer, we will have to wait. I think he will stay."

Reports had suggested both Atletico Madrid and Barcelona were considering a move for Greenwood, who is about to enter the final 12 months of his contract with United.

Torres claims Barca president Joan Laporta and sporting director Deco have been in touch about the 22-year-old, adding: "No one from Atleti has asked me about Greenwood. 

"I spoke with [Atleti president] Miguel Angel [Gil Marin], but about other things. The only one who asked me about the player was Joan Laporta.

"I spoke with him and Deco and they asked me what he was like to get a sense of the player, but first they have to sell to buy, this is the problem with Spanish football."

Girona lost further ground in the LaLiga title race as they slipped to a 1-0 defeat to Getafe at the Estadio Coliseum.

Jesus Santiago rounded off a well-worked move in the 33rd minute to score the only goal of the game for Getafe, who moved into the top half of the table with victory.

Leading scorer Artem Dovbyk missed a handful of chances in the second half for Girona and defeats means the Catalan surprise packages are now 10 points behind leaders Real Madrid following their win at Osasuna on Saturday.

Getafe had their hearts in their mouths in the 11th minute when the referee was sent to the VAR screen after Omar Alderete pulled Cristian Portu back on the last line of defence, but a yellow card was deemed sufficient punishment.

Chances were at a premium during the opening stages but Getafe forward Mason Greenwood chanced his arm from 25 yards with an effort that flew comfortably wide midway through the half.

However, Getafe would break the deadlock soon after the half-hour mark thanks to Santiago. Ilaix Moriba’s pass unlocked the Girona defence and found teenager Santiago who smashed his shot across goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga and into the net.

Girona, who had lost four of their previous five away games, looked for a rapid response and their biggest chance of the half came just before the break when Portu smashed an effort towards goal. The shot looked to be heading in via a deflection only for Getafe to scramble it away.

Girona started the second period the stronger of the two sides and had the first opening of the half as Dovbyk picked up possession outside box before seeing his shot flash a whisker wide of the target.

The visitors were starting to put the pressure on in search of an equaliser and Savio’s clever low drive into the box was diverted wide by Dovbyk.

Getafe looked to respond and were awarded a free-kick 30 yards out. The distance did not deter Oscar Rodriguez, who fancied his chances, but he blasted his shot straight into the grasp of Gazzaniga.

Getafe had a better chance to double their lead when a cross fell to the unmarked Moriba inside the box but he sent his header wide of the target.

Time was running out for Girona and Dovbyk mustered another opportunity for himself when he cut into the box but fired straight at keeper as the score remained 1-0.

All the chances were falling to Dovbyk and this time Savio’s inswinging cross found the Ukraine international, but his header was saved by David Soria who ensured Getafe held on to claim their first win in five games.

What the papers say

Liverpool have expressed their faith in Colombian winger Luis Diaz after telling Spanish giants Barcelona that the 27-year-old is not for sale and is a part of their long-term plans, the Daily Mirror reports. Diaz has scored six goals and created three more in 27 games in the Premier League for the club this season.

The Mirror says Manchester United have set a price tag of £43million on striker Mason Greenwood with an unnamed Saudi Pro League interested in the 22-year-old’s signature. The forward has spent the season in La Liga at Spanish club Getafe on loan where he has scored six goals and assisted five more in 23 matches.

The Daily Mail reports Chelsea could be looking to offload several stars this summer including Raheem Sterling, Romelu Lukaku, Trevoh Chalobah and Marc Cucurella.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Viktor Gyokeres: Arsenal have made the Swedish forward their number one target this summer with the Sporting Lisbon player having a £85million release clause in his contract, according to Football Transfers.

Willian Pacho: Liverpool and Arsenal are interested in the 22-year-old Ecuadorian defender at Eintracht Frankfurt, 90min says.

The president of La Liga says he “doesn’t care” about Mason Greenwood’s past and wants the Manchester United forward to stay in Spain beyond this season.

The 22-year-old faced charges including attempted rape and assault but the Crown Prosecution Service announced in February last year that the case had been discontinued.

He moved to Getafe on loan last summer, and La Liga chief Javier Tebas has been impressed with him to such a degree he hopes he stays for the longer term.

“He’s doing really well at Getafe as a player and I hope he continues to be successful and he continues to stay in Spanish football because that’s always good for us,” Tebas told a media briefing at the Financial Times Business of Football Summit on Thursday.

“He is just another player. He had a past, but not a past we can do anything about. He was innocent and wasn’t condemned. We can’t be judges for everything. If we did that, we’d have no teams.

“I’m a lawyer, so it’s important to say he is not condemned. He was acquitted here (in the UK). Should we have reopened the case in Spain? Do I know the case in great detail? No.

“Greenwood was not condemned, so I don’t care.”

Manchester United’s co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe said last week that a fresh decision would be made on Greenwood this summer now that Ineos has been delegated control of football operations at Old Trafford.

Reports last year that United were planning to retain him following an internal investigation were met by public outcry and Ratcliffe acknowledges that a decision will have to be made when Greenwood returns about what happens next – but insists nothing has been finalised yet.

“It’s quite clear we have to make a decision. There is no decision that’s been made,” Ratcliffe said at a media briefing to mark the completion of his purchase of a minority stake in United.

Asked asked if the Greenwood situation would be a “fresh decision”, Ratcliffe said: “Yeah we will. Absolutely. We will make a decision, and we will justify it one way or the other.”

Ratcliffe added: “He’s on loan obviously, but he’s not the only one – we’ve got one or two footballers that we have to deal with and we have to make a decision on, so we will do that.”

Xavi is not expecting Getafe to sit back at Camp Nou when they face his Barcelona side on Saturday.

Nothing else but three points will do for Barca if they are to keep their flagging La Liga title hopes alive, as they trail their bitter rivals Real Madrid by eight points with 13 games to go.

Xavi, who will leave his position as head coach at the end of the season after a difficult campaign, does not think a win will be easily achieved by his team against a Getafe side who occupy 10th spot.

“Getafe are not a defensive team, they are a brave team,” he said at his pre-match press conference on Friday.

“They press very high up the pitch and they have picked up points at some tricky away grounds. They always compete and (coach Jose) Bordalas always gets the most out of his players, and that is worthy of praise.

“The points are very important for the battle for the league title. As long as we are mathematically involved, we will fight for it. Each week is a different story. We can’t drop points, less so at home.

“We would go to be in second place in the table (above Girona) and that will put more pressure on Girona and Real Madrid, who play later. We are not throwing in the towel, even though we know that it will be tough.”

Barcelona come into the match after a 1-1 draw away to Napoli in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie on Wednesday.

“We will see how we come into the game, but it is the moment for the best players,” Xavi added.

“We will make some changes but not many, because it is a vital match. It would have been better to play on Sunday or Monday but that is no excuse.”

Barcelona are without Alejandro Balde (hamstring), who is sidelined for the rest of the season, while Marcos Alonso remains unavailable due to lower back pain, which has meant Joao Cancelo being forced to play at left-back.

“He is playing very well both on the left and on the right, his contribution is fantastic,” Xavi said about Cancelo.

“The instructions I give him are because sometimes he plays too high or too low. Also because he is closer to the bench for me (to communicate with). But he is a leader too, we are very happy with him.”

Real Madrid moved back to the top of LaLiga after Joselu’s double secured a routine 2-0 win at Getafe.

Joselu bagged his first league goal since October 7 after heading home from Lucas Vazquez’s right-wing cross in the opening quarter of an hour.

The 33-year-old then struck in the second half as Real downed their Madrid rivals to leapfrog Girona and move two points clear at the top of the standings.

Jude Bellingham was restored to the Real line-up after missing the come-from-behind win at Las Palmas last time out but was upstaged early on as he was nutmegged by Borja Mayoral in a rare Getafe foray.

Joselu rattled the bar early on but was flagged offside while Vinicius Junior saw a tame shot saved after being put through but Getafe failed to heed the warning signs and fell behind in the 14th minute.

It was a simple enough move as Vazquez got ahead of Gaston Alvarez on the wing and crossed to the back post, where Joselu managed to shrug off Domingos Duarte and direct a downward header into the net.

While the on-loan Espanyol forward had scored in other competitions, this was his first goal in the Spanish top-flight in 13 appearances – although he has only started three times in that period.

The Vazquez-Joselu pairing combined again and the latter forced Getafe goalkeeper David Soria to push round the post.

Real’s only concern of the half came when Antonio Rudiger came off worst after a challenge on Mason Greenwood, leading to the limping Germany defender being withdrawn at half-time for Eduardo Camavinga.

Diego Rico, Juan Latasa and Jordi Martin were introduced at the beginning of the second half by Getafe, who saw Greenwood cut inside and clip the outside of the near post soon after the resumption.

But just as Getafe looked to be gaining some momentum, Real and Joselu doubled their tally to leave the hosts with a mountain to climb in the 56th minute.

Following some excellent build-up play from Bellingham and Ferland Mendy, Vinicius Junior fed Joselu on the edge of the box and the Spaniard took a touch before sending a left-foot shot past Soria.

Joselu passed up the chance to bag a hat-trick after being put through by Bellingham, unselfishly squaring for Vinicius, who only had to lift over Soria but shot directly at the Getafe custodian.

Federico Valverde and Bellingham were also denied by Soria while at the other end, Mayoral saw his shot cannon off the crossbar before Luis Milla directed his follow-up over.

Greenwood saw a deflected strike miss the target in added-on time as Getafe were unable to get on the scoresheet despite an improved attacking display after the break.

Manchester United loanee Mason Greenwood was sent off as nine-man Getafe slipped to a 2-0 home defeat to Rayo Vallecano in LaLiga.

The hosts were reduced to 10 men five minutes before the break as Real Madrid loanee Juanmi Latasa was handed a second booking and matters were made even worse when Sergio Camello put the visitors 1-0 to the good.

Camello doubled their lead two minutes after the interval and Greenwood was given a straight red card three minutes later for dissent after he appeared gesture how many times he had been fouled to referee Jorge Figueroa.

Greenwood became the eighth player to receive a red card for Getafe this season and a further red card was given to Damian Suarez from the bench after he had already been substituted in a heated clash as 11 cards were shown throughout the encounter.

Martin Zubimendi scored a stoppage time equaliser to rescue 10-man Real Sociedad a 1-1 draw with Deportivo Alaves.

Sociedad goalkeeper Alex Remiro was sent off in the 36th minute after he handled the ball outside the area but the scores were level until the 76th minute when Luis Rioja put the away side 1-0 up from the penalty spot.

Alaves looked set for all three points until the sixth minute of stoppage time when Zubimendi latched onto a loose ball inside the area and buried an effort from inside the box.

Pepelu bagged a couple of penalties as Valencia sealed a second successive league victory with a 3-1 triumph over Villarreal.

Roman Yaremchuk scored his first goal in LaLiga to give Valencia the lead four minutes in and Pepelu twice bagged from the penalty spot in either haf, with Gerard Moreno’s second-half strike securing all three points.

In Italy, AC Milan progressed through to the quarter-final of the Coppa Italia with a convincing 4-1 victory over Cagliari at the San Siro.

Luka Jovic put the hosts in front on the half-hour mark when he slammed into the net from close range and he completed his brace just before the break after Theo Hernandez teed it up for a second time to Jovic, who diverted the ball in.

Milan made their lead unassailable in the 50th minute after Chaka Traore’s snapshot handed him a first senior Milan goal and Cagliari pulled one back late on through Paulo Azzi before Rafael Leao regained their three-goal cushion and booked their place in the next round.

Borja Mayoral scored an injury-time penalty as Getafe claimed a dramatic 3-3 draw at 10-man Atletico Madrid.

The home side saw Stefan Savic dismissed after 37 minutes before taking the lead on the stroke of half-time through Antoine Griezmann’s close-range finish.

Mayoral pulled one back for the visitors eight minutes into the second half – after Mason Greenwood’s shot was saved – but Alvaro Morata put Atletico back in the lead.

Griezmann then scored his second of the night from the penalty spot – drawing level with Atletico’s record scorer Luis Aragones on 173 strikes – to hand his side a two-goal advantage.

The hosts looked to be on course to take all three points, but Oscar Rodriguez handed Getafe a lifeline when he netted with three minutes of normal time remaining before Mayoral salvaged a remarkable point from the spot in the third minute of injury time.

Former Watford manager Quique Sanchez Flores began his tenure as Sevilla manager with a 3-0 win at Granada.

Flores became Sevilla’s third manager of the season on Monday and goals from Adria Pedrosa, Lucas Ocampos and Sergio Ramos handed him a comfortable win.

In the night’s other La Liga fixture, Sergi Canos scored the only goal of the game as Valenica recorded a 1-0 victory at Rayo Vallecano.

In the Bundesliga, Borussia Dortmund could manage only a 1-1 draw with Mainz leaving them 12 points behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen.

Julian Brandt netted a fine free-kick to hand the hosts the lead after 29 minutes, but Sepp van den Berg headed home shortly before the interval to deny Edin Terzic’s side three points.

The result leaves Dortmund without a win in their last six appearances in all competitions.

RB Leipzig missed an opportunity to draw level with second-placed Bayern Munich following a 1-1 draw at Werder Bremen.

Lois Openda opened the scoring for the visitors just after half-time, but Justin Njinmah’s superb equaliser left rescued a point for Bremen.

Elsewhere, Tim Skarke scored twice as Darmstadt came from behind on three occasions to secure a 3-3 draw at Hoffenheim.