Will Liverpool maintain their leadership in the Champions League standings? At least the bookmakers' prediction makes them the favorite in the match against Girona, which is one of the tournament's underdogs. It's unclear how Girona could challenge the leader. Liverpool is currently too strong, and Girona is clearly not the team that amazed all of Europe last season.
Girona is a debutant in the Champions League, so they will face Liverpool for the first time.
The new Champions League format was supposed to help teams like Girona. However, they have only three points after five matches. It's not like they had a tough schedule. The only top opponent was PSG, with whom they played in the first round (0:1). It was quite realistic to compete with the other teams. However, Girona managed to beat only Slovan (2:0), losing in the other matches. For example, in the match against Feyenoord, luck turned away from the Spanish team (2:3). Not only did they miss a penalty, but they also gave away victory due to two own goals. In matches against PSV and Sturm, Girona couldn't score at all, conceding a total of five goals. Ahead of them are not only Liverpool but also Milan and Arsenal, so their chances of advancing to the playoffs are practically nonexistent. Note that Girona recently lost to Real Madrid (0:3), yet they are in the middle of La Liga's standings and have not lost their chances for a spot in European competitions next season.
Few expected that after Jürgen Klopp's departure, Liverpool would contend for victory in all tournaments they participate in. However, Arne Slot has found an approach to the team, which is leading in the English Premier League. Last week, they dropped points in a match against Newcastle (3:3), yet a seven-point lead over their pursuers allows them to feel at ease. Last weekend's match against Everton was canceled, which favors Liverpool ahead of the game with Girona. In the Champions League, the Merseysiders are also in first place and have gone through five rounds without dropping points. Note that in five matches, they conceded only one goal, and that was in the first round against Milan. Moreover, Liverpool's opponents were stronger than Girona's.