Girona vs Feyenoord facts

Girona's first home European fixture pits them against Feyenoord on Matchday 2 of the UEFA Champions League.

Both sides are looking to recover from bruising opening defeats. A 90th-minute own goal from goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga condemned debutants Girona to a 1-0 loss at Paris Saint-Germain, while Feyenoord went down 0-4 at home against German champions Bayer Leverkusen – their joint-heaviest home European loss.

Form guide

Girona

This is Girona's first game against a Dutch club.

Girona are the 14th Spanish side to feature in the Champions League proper – one short of Germany's competition record.

Indeed, this is the first time Girona have taken part in UEFA competition. Leipzig, in 2017, are the only previous club to have made their European debut in the Champions League proper, an honour Girona have shared with Brest this season.

Girona are one of five clubs to be making their Champions League debuts in 2024/25, along with Aston Villa, Bologna, Brest and Slovan Bratislava.

Míchel guided Girona to third place in last season's La Liga table on 81 points, 14 behind champions Real Madrid and only four adrift of runners-up Barcelona.

That was also Los Blanquivermells' highest league placing in what was only their fourth season in the Spanish top flight; they finished tenth in both 2017/18 and 2022/23 and 18th in 2018/19, when they were relegated.

Feyenoord

Record vs Spanish clubs: W6 D2 L10 F17 A30
Away record vs Spanish clubs: W2 D1 L6

Feyenoord lost 2-3 away and 1-3 at home to Atlético de Madrid in last season's group stage.

That made it six defeats in their last seven games against Spanish clubs, the exception a 2-0 home win against Sevilla in the 2014/15 UEFA Europa League group stage. That is Feyenoord's only win in their last nine fixtures with Spanish sides (D1 L7).

Feyenoord have lost their last three games in Spain and have found the net in only three of their nine games away to Spanish clubs.

The Rotterdammers are making their seventh appearance in the Champions League proper, appearing in the competition for successive seasons for the first time since 2002/03. This is only the third time they have featured in the last 22 campaigns.

European champions in 1970, Feyenoord have never reached the Champions League knockout rounds, although they qualify for the second group stage in 1999/2000.

In 2023/24, Feyenoord were third in Group E behind Atlético de Madrid and Lazio, winning two of their six games and losing the other four.

Arne Slot's side moved across to the Europa League but lasted a single tie, losing to Roma in the knockout round play-offs (1-1 h, 1-1 a aet, 2-4 pens).

That was the third successive season in which Feyenoord's European campaign had ended in defeat against Roma, including a 1-0 loss in Tirana in the inaugural UEFA Europa Conference League final in 2022.

Feyenoord are without a win in 11 away European games (D4 L7), since a 3-1 victory at Slavia Praha in the 2021/22 Europa Conference League quarter-final second leg.

The Dutch club have lost their last eight away games in the Champions League proper; a 1-0 win at Newcastle on Matchday 2 in 2002/03 is their only success in their last 13 away fixtures (D2 L10) and one of only three in the competition proper (D5 L13).

Feyenoord were second in the 2023/24 Eredivisie, seven points behind PSV Eindhoven – although their final tally of 84 points was two more than when they had taken the title in the previous season.

The Rotterdam club did lift the Dutch Cup for the 14th time, beating NEC Nijmegen 1-0 in the final.

Slot departed for Liverpool in the summer, Feyenoord appointing Sparta Praha coach Brian Priske as his successor.

Links and trivia

Have played in Netherlands:
Daley Blind (Ajax 1998–2014, 2018–23, Groningen 2010 loan)
Donny van de Beek (Ajax 2008–20)
Arnaut Danjuma (PSV Eindhoven youth 2008–16, NEC Nijmegen 2016–18)

International team-mates:
Daley Blind & Justin Bijlow, Quinten Timber (Netherlands)

Blind's record against Feyenoord is W10 D1 L3 – one of those wins Manchester United's 4-0 home victory in the 2016/17 Europa League group stage.

Van de Beek won five of his six Eredivisie games against Feyenoord with Ajax, losing the other; he scored twice in those fixtures.

Latest news

Girona

Girona have won only two of their nine games this season (D3 L4). On Sunday they conceded a late equaliser to draw 1-1 at Celta Vigo.

They are five matches without a win (D2 L3), their longest run since a similar sequence in May-June 2023. A 0-0 draw at home to Rayo Vallecano on 25 September ended a three-game losing streak.

Yangel Herrera's opener on Sunday was Girona's first goal in four games.

Oriol Romeu (hamstring) and Daley Blind (calf) both went off injured on Sunday.

Cristian Portu was a late substitute at Celta having missed two matches, against Valencia (0-2) and Rayo, with an ankle injury.

Jastin García injured his shoulder on 31 July in a pre-season friendly against Toulouse and has not played since.

Feyenoord

Feyenoord have won two of their first six Eredivisie games, drawing the other four including 1-1 at NEC Nijmegen on Saturday thanks to a late Jordan Lotomba equaliser.

That made it three successive away Eredivisie draws for the first time since 1994.

The Rotterdam club are unbeaten in the Eredivisie since a 1-2 loss at home to eventual champions PSV Eindhoven on 3 December; their record since is W18 D8.

Feyenoord's Matchday 1 defeat at home to Leverkusen was their first in all competitions since the 1-2 loss at Celtic on Matchday 6 of the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League. They had won 21 of their subsequent 30 games.

Hugo Bueno came on on Saturday having not played since 18 August due to a muscle injury.

Santiago Giménez was replaced in the first half of a 2-0 win at home to NAC on 22 September with a thigh injury that is expected to sideline him for three months.

Bart Nieuwkoop has been out since 14 September.

Midfielder Calvin Stengs underwent knee surgery at the end of August.

Quinten Timber was named Feyenoord captain on 13 September.