10 December 2023 , 09:15
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While compatriot Luis Suarez was firing Barcelona to the league title in 2015-16, Uruguayan striker Cristhian Stuani was lifting Middlesbrough out of the Championship, but eight years on the veteran frontman is preparing to take on the Catalan giants from a position of strength.
Stuani, now 37, left Boro for Girona after scoring just four top-flight goals as the Teesside team suffered immediate relegation from the Premier League in 2017. Another relegation followed in 2019 with his new employers despite his 19-goal season in La Liga, but Girona's form since their latest promotion has been very different.
After 15 games of the season, they sit level on points with league leaders Real Madrid and four clear of near-neighbours Barcelona in third. That gap owes a lot to captain Stuani, who scored twice in the final 10 minutes to turn defeat into victory against Valencia last time out.
“If during the preseason someone told you that [we’d be top now], you would have called them crazy," Stuani said after the Valencia win. "Everything we are experiencing is a dream and we don’t want to wake up.
"We must enjoy it, but also be aware that it is an added responsibility, now we are no longer the surprise and the teams know us more, which means that we must increase the effort and work. We have always transmitted humility, work and sacrifice.
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"Day-to-day the work of the team is brutal and that means we can compete very well at the weekend. Now we must maintain the level, we will work for it and try to do so.”
That work has brought a return of 38 points from 15 games - by way of contrast, Leicester had 32 points at the equivalent stage of their remarkable title campaign, while last season's treble winners Manchester City had 35. Sunday's trip to Barcelona on Sunday will be a real test, though, and a guide to how capable Girona are of going the distance.
How surprised have you been by Girona this season? Have your say in the comments section
Cristhian Stuani was Girona's hero in their last league outing (AFP via Getty Images)The comparisons with Leicester and Manchester City are not chosen at random. While comparisons have been made with the Foxes, who won the league in their second season back in the top flight, we can't look past Girona's status as part of City Football Group.
That's not to say it's been plain sailing in the six years as part of the group. That period includes that relegation in 2019, with promotion only secured at the third time of asking.
Throughout that period, Stuani has regularly found himself among the goals. He hit an incredible 29 goals in the 2019-20 season only for his team to lose the play-off final, and they fell at the same hurdle the following year, but it was third time lucky in 2022 as a Stuani penalty set his team on course for victory over Tenerife.
The striker's team-mates include many who have passed through Manchester City's factory of footballers. Aleix Garcia is one of the stars of the current squad and Eric Garcia is on loan from upcoming opponents Barcelona, while Yangel Herrera completed a permanent summer switch from City after a successful loan and Brazilian youngster Yan Couto is in the midst of a second season on loan from the Etihad Stadium.
Daley Blind is another of the former Premier League stars hoping to stun Barcelona with Girona (David Borrat/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)Those three all made a handful of City appearances or none at all, though others have more experience of English football. Centre-back Bernardo played with Stuani at Boro and Paulo Gazzaniga played for several English clubs, while veteran defender Daley Blind was on the red side of Manchester for several years.
Results in November saw boss Michel claim the Manager of the Month award for the second time this season. His team have taken 19 points from a possible 21 since losing to Real Madrid on September 30, but three points on Sunday would take things to the next level.
"Right now we're on cloud nine," the manager said ahead of the Barcelona meeting. "Obviously, we are exceeding expectations... but when you show soul on the pitch, it's rare that the team not be competitive."
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