Surprise contenders Girona seemed to have stumbled in their LaLiga title bid when they went three games without a win earlier in the month but victory on Monday moved them back into second.
Michel’s side required two late goals from Savio to ensure the much-needed points against Rayo Vallecano with a 3-0 victory, ending a run of one draw and back-to-back defeats.
A crushing 4-0 defeat on February 10 to Real Madrid followed up by a 3-2 loss at Athletic Bilbao opened up a six-point gap between Madrid and Girona, who had been neck and neck for months at the top of the table.
The welcome return to winning form on matchday 26 leapfrogged Girona back above Barcelona and into second place, restoring a two-point cushion between them and their Catalan neighbours.
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“There is still a lot to do, but the team needed to win after three games without a victory,” Girona coach Michel said after the Rayo success.
The Rojiblancos travel to Mallorca on Sunday seeking to put their poor recent form firmly behind them and also to enact revenge upon the side that knocked them out of the Copa del Rey quarterfinals in January.
But by the time Girona kick off they could find themselves nine points adrift of Madrid after Carlo Ancelotti’s charges visit ninth-placed Valencia on Saturday.
The league leaders will still be without top scorer Jude Bellingham and have struggled for goals since his injury in the handsome win against Girona.
Los Blancos have scored just three goals in their three games since his absence, including two 1-0 wins, and in Valencia face a side that average just over one goal conceded per league game.
The most eye-catching encounter of the weekend is third-placed Barcelona’s trip to the Basque country to take on fifth-placed Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.
The Catalan side have four wins in their last five LaLiga matches as they aim to defend last season’s league title.
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