Tag: Girona

Real Madrid title clinching scenarios: How Los Blancos could win La Liga this weekend

Madrid is on the verge of a 36th Spanish title

For Real Madrid, winning its 36th La Liga title is now a matter of when, not if.

Los Blancos enter the weekend holding an 11-point lead over second-place Barcelona with just five league matches remaining.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side hosts Cádiz on Saturday, and the coach will have to be mindful of squad rotation with a Champions League semifinal second leg coming up on Wednesday against Bayern Munich.

With the right set of results on Saturday, Madrid could enter the Bayern tie with La Liga already wrapped up.

How could Real Madrid clinch La Liga?

Real Madrid will win La Liga if it defeats Cádiz and Barcelona loses or draws against Girona. Madrid will also win the league if it draws Cádiz and Barcelona loses against Girona.

Victory against Cádiz appears to be a likely proposition for Madrid, as the visitors enter Saturday’s game in 18th place out of 20 teams in La Liga.

Madrid faces Cádiz at 10:15 a.m. ET on Saturday, with Barcelona traveling to Girona in a game that kicks off at 12:30 p.m. ET. That means if Madrid is to clinch the title on Saturday, it will do so while watching its biggest rival on TV.

Should Madrid win La Liga this season, it would reclaim the title that Barça won last season. It would be the second title in three seasons for Los Blancos and the third out of five.

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Girona vs. Barcelona: How to watch La Liga, live stream

The two sides are locked in a fierce battle for second place in La Liga

The La Liga title may be wrapped up, but there is still a heated battle for second that will see a vital match on Saturday.

Girona will host Barcelona at the Estadi Montilivi, with the home side sitting in third place, trailing the second-place visitors by just two points.

Real Madrid has an 11-point lead with five league matches remaining, and could wrap up the title this weekend with the right set of results.

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Barcelona will be out for some revenge on Saturday, after Girona earned a stunning 4-2 win at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys in the reverse fixture in December.

With a win, Girona will seal a Champions League berth to cap off what has been a remarkable season for the Catalan club.

“They have had an exceptional season. It will be a tough game because they are a Champions League-level side,” Barcelona coach Xavi said at his pre-game press conference. “I say that not because of the standings, but what they have demonstrated on the pitch.”

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the match.

Girona vs. Barcelona

  • When: Saturday, May 4
  • Where: Estadi Montilivi (Girona)
  • Time: 12:30 p.m. ET
  • Channel/streaming: ESPN+ (WATCH NOW), ESPN Deportes

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Taty Castellanos, still technically an MLS player, rings Real Madrid up for four goals

Castellanos is the fifth player ever to score four in one game on Real Madrid

Taty Castellanos, who is playing for Girona on loan from NYCFC, offered the perfect advertisement for MLS on Wednesday.

Castellanos stunned none other than Real Madrid, scoring four goals as Girona beat the defending European champions 4-2.

That makes him just the fifth player ever to score four goals in one game on Real Madrid. It also means that he’s scored four goals in a league match against Real Madrid as often as he did against all MLS teams (he hit Real Salt Lake for four in a 6-0 win in April 2022).

With Girona’s first serious look of the game, Castellanos snapped a header past Andriy Lunin after Miguel Gutiérrez clipped a teasing ball in from the left.

The second was more difficult, as Castellanos has to fight off Éder Militão to turn the most hopeful of long balls into anything at all. But fight he did, and after gaining position on the Brazilian, Castellanos held his ground long enough to slot past Lunin for a brace.

Real struck back through Vinícius Jr. before halftime, but just moments into the second half, a wide-open Castellanos made it a hat trick. Yan Couto raided down the right side, and all Castellanos had to do was keep his shot on target after Militão and Dani Carvajal both seemed to think the other had the Argentine striker marked.

Castellanos continued to terrorize Militão and hit a stunning fourth in the 63rd minute. Girona’s short-corner routine seemed to freeze Real’s zonal marking, and Castellanos bought himself a yard or so off of Militão’s back shoulder to head yet another goal past Lunin.

Lucas Vázquez would notch a late consolation goal for los Blancos, but the damage was done. Castellanos’ future value will likely go up demonstrably from this one performance, and the Blanquivermells climbed into ninth place thanks to the unlikely win.

Then again, if you ask their manager Michel, maybe it’s not such a shock.

“The difference between Girona and Madrid is not 24 points, we have already shown it at the Bernabéu and today at Montilivi,” Michel said in a post-match press conference. He might have a point, as Girona took a 1-1 draw in Madrid back in October.

“It was a dream night,” Castellanos told Movistar after the match. “We played a great game against one of the best in the world.”

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Former Lakers center Marc Gasol deemed a name to watch for Warriors

The Golden State Warriors are a possible candidate for former Los Angeles Lakers center Marc Gasol down the line.

The Marc Gasol saga got a little more intriguing as he could be an option for another NBA team down the line.

The Los Angeles Lakers and Gasol had a relationship that became toxic by the season’s end, and it led to the franchise trading the center to the Memphis Grizzlies where he’d be bought out.

After the Grizzlies waived Gasol, reports indicated he’d go play for Girona, the team he owns in Spain. Gasol wants to be closer to family since he is from Spain, and his brother, Pau, also plays in Spain for FC Barcelona.

However, Gasol’s tenure in the NBA might not be over just yet. Anthony Slater of The Athletic says the Spaniard could be a name to watch for the Golden State Warriors:

Marc Gasol is a name to watch. He just wiggled his way away from the Lakers and, according to an ESPN report, plans to remain in Spain while sorting out the next (and perhaps last) phase of his playing career.

Gasol nearly signed with the Warriors last summer — and might have done so had Thompson not ruptured his Achilles before free agency. It may never materialize, but he has the exact passing acumen and center skill set that has traditionally fit Kerr’s offense best, similar to David West and Andrew Bogut.

Remember when Bogut jumped on board a title chase in March a couple of years back? If Gasol gets the midseason itch and sees a path to playing time on a Warriors team that will have Thompson back, there’s a roster spot that can be cleared. If any type of bidding war commences, the Warriors do have a taxpayer midlevel they can still offer, if they can stomach the tax bill.

Gasol would be an ideal fit for the Warriors because he’d add more solid shooting at a different position alongside Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.

The Warriors, if healthy, will be a playoff-caliber team, so Gasol could have a chance to play against the Lakers in games that matter the most if this actually materializes.

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Lakers news: Grizzlies waive Marc Gasol

Marc Gasol is one step closer to playing in Spain after being waived by the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Memphis Grizzlies have waived center Marc Gasol, the team announced Wednesday.

Gasol, who was with the Los Angeles Lakers, was traded to the Grizzlies in hopes of possibly moving to Spain to play basketball there.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported after the trade was announced that Memphis would work to waive Gasol’s contract to allow him to go to Spain, and it’s now official.

Recent reports indicate Gasol will go and play for Girona, the team he owns and where he played a few seasons for prior to coming to the NBA.

The Lakers also traded a 2024 second-round pick to Memphis in the deal and received the draft rights to Wang Zhelin in exchange.

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Lakers rumors: Marc Gasol will likely play for Girona in Spain

Former Los Angeles Lakers center Marc Gasol is likely returning to play for Girona in his home country.

Marc Gasol could soon have a new home for playing basketball, and it won’t be in the NBA.

Gasol, who signed with the Los Angeles Lakers last offseason, had one more year remaining in his contract. Following Spain’s elimination in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Gasol confirmed he’d return to L.A. to complete his contract.

However, a few weeks after, Gasol was reportedly not a lock to return anymore and was mulling a possible return to Spain; that news prompted L.A. to look for replacement centers, eventually leading to DeAndre Jordan’s arrival.

Shortly after that, the Lakers traded Gasol and a second-round pick to the Memphis Grizzlies, the team where Gasol started his career and spent the most time with; Memphis will buy him out so he can return to Spain.

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, Gasol is expected to play for Girona, the team he owns:

Gasol had played for Girona for a few seasons prior to coming to the NBA and is likely going to end his professional career there, too.

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