Girona vs. Deportivo Alavés - A Glimpse into the Upcoming Clash

Looking to preserve their place at the top of La Liga, Girona faces Deportivo Alavés as matchday 17 ends. The showdown is set for the Estadi Montilivi in Girona on Monday. Deportivo Alavés have 16 points and hold the League table's 13th place following Saturday. They face off against this round, a home team that sits atop the standings as they have collected their dreamlike total in October, with just four matches played.

Gironans have edged out the mighty Real Madrid by just two points. But Zinedine Zidane's men will be playing their game before Girona, and if a result goes either way, they could well vacate the top spot to make room for this clash. However, amidst the celebration that follows Girona's 4-2 victory on Matchday 7 against Barcelona, there is also horrendous trepidation. Their latest win was the seventh in eight La Liga fixtures, a solitary 1-1 draw with Athletic Bilbao being their only defeat. Worth noting is that the draw happened at Estadi Montilivi, and it was only their first slip in a string of three victories from their last four home league games.

Deportivo Alavés is also fretting about being drawn into a relegation battle. They're only three points above the dangerous bottom-three line. They came crashing back to earth with a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Las Palmas. They have won only once in their last six league matches and lost three times. Deportivo Alavés, on the other hand, is a team that has yet to suffer consecutive league defeats this year. That stubbornness makes them something of an unknown quantity for hosts Albir.

More notable has been Deportivo Alavés's solid defensive record. The team has allowed only 20 goals, bettered by the two banks and just seven teams in the league overall. But their road show looks completely different. Over the last eight league away matches, they've suffered five losses and drawn three times; it may be that this next trip will give them little room for impact once more.

Girona is determined to maintain this position at the peak of La Liga. Aiming for a good result in this crucial clash against Deportivo Alavés will help them keep their nerves and steer clear of the danger of relegation. Either team would be quite different intellectually from the other and can motivate themselves for their own reasons. Hence, it will form an intriguing argument about determining who wins on Estadi Montilivi's pitch.