Real Madrid vs Girona Prediction and Betting Tips: Two bets as La Liga's top two go head to head

A cracking night of football awaits us on Saturday when La Liga's top two, Real Madrid and Girona, go head-to-head at the Bernabeu, live on ITV 4 at 5.30pm.

Can hosts Real Madrid extend their lead at the summit, or will Spain's surprise title-contenders leapfrog their famed opponents by claiming one of the most notable wins in their history?

Below we've previewed the eagerly anticipated duel and put forward our best bets.

It's not much of a shock to see 35-time Spanish champions Real Madrid involved in a La Liga title race after 23 matches, but no one could have predicted Girona's remarkable rise this season.

Real Madrid sit top of the table with 58 points, but La Liga's top scorers Girona are hot on their heels two points behind in second, which sets up Saturday's meeting perfectly.

Between them the teams have scored 100 goals and lost just two matches - one apiece - with Real Madrid's only defeat coming back in September away to city rivals Atletico, while Girona's sole loss came a week later at home to...Carlo Ancelotti's side.

Real Madrid are enjoying 17 game undefeated streak in the league (13 wins, 4 draws) whereas Girona have pieced together a 15 game unbeaten run (11 wins, 4 draws), which includes a stunning 4-2 win away to Barcelona and a 4-3 triumph at home to Atletico.

As you might expect, Real Madrid are favoured by bookmakers in the La Liga title race, priced at just 1/7 to claim their third title in five seasons. Girona follow at 15/2, with Barcelona at 20/1, and Atletico further back at 33/1.

Real Madrid are also odds-on at 2/5 for the win this weekend, which would fire them five points clear. Girona are priced at 6/1 to avenge their only loss and in the process go top, while a draw is available at 4/1.

A commanding Real Madrid performance is often witnessed during significant occasions and crucial fixtures, while they can draw on a supreme home record since April, which reads: 20 wins, four draws, and zero defeats.

Ancelotti's team have displayed remarkable consistency this season, suffering only one defeat in 90 minutes and remaining unbeaten for over four months across all competitions. Furthermore, they have recently secured the Spanish Super Cup, adding to their already jam-packed trophy cabinet.

Real Madrid beat Girona pretty convincingly earlier this season (0-3) and they've amassed 19 points from the last 21 on offer in the league.

As impressive as Girona have been this season - and they have been exceptional - they face an incredibly tough task on Saturday night, especially without Daley Blind and Yangel Herrera, and head coach Michel who is banned from the touchline.

Still, Real Madrid are a tad too short at 4/9 for my liking in the match odds market. Instead, I favour a home win and both teams to score at a much more appealing price of 13/8 with Sky Bet.

Claiming a historic win at the Bernabeu may be difficult, but I still fancy the free-scoring visitors to breach the Real Madrid defence. They've scored a league-high 52 goals this season and have thumped four past both Barcelona and Atletico in the last two months.

Saturday's showdown not only brings together the top two teams in La Liga but the top two goalscorers: Jude Bellingham and Artem Dovbyk.

The focus of our second bet is on Bellingham, who scored in September's 3-0 defeat of Girona. We all know about his fantastic exploits in front of goal this season, but the English star also has a spiky side to him, reflected in a hefty 10 yellow cards for club and country. He's received a whopping seven of those yellows in his last 12 games alone and was recently forced to miss a game due to a suspension.

His eye for goal combined with his recent trend of accumulating cards brings us to a 12.8/1 price for this double with bet365; a bet that's landed in two of Bellingham's last six league games.