FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - LaLiga - Atletico Madrid v Girona - Metropolitano, Madrid, Spain - April 13, 2024 Girona coach Michel before the match REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura/File Photo
GIRONA (Reuters) - Girona coach Michel will be hoping to cap his side's most successful LaLiga season with victory over Granada in their final match of the campaign on Friday, with striker Artem Dovbyk also in the hunt to finish as the league's top scorer.
Girona, the surprise package of the season, already know they will finish third in the standings, behind champions Real Madrid and runners-up Barcelona.
Girona, whose previous best finish in the league was 10th in 2017-18 and 2022-23, have also secured a place in next season's Champions League and hence simply want to enjoy their final outing on Friday.
"Tomorrow the pitch will be full and afterwards we want to celebrate with our fans. The best way to end the season is to win and make the fans proud, that's what we're playing for," the coach told a press conference on Thursday.
"We have to end the season in the best way possible, which is to win. If we do it with two goals from Dovbyk, that's even better. We have a chance for him to finish as top scorer and surpass 80 points. We will try to win for him."
Dovbyk, who has netted 21 times this season, is two goals behind Villareal's Alexander Sorloth and two ahead of Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham.
After enjoying such highs this season, in which their 24 league wins included thumping home and away victories over Catalan rivals Barcelona, Michel has already turned his attention to the future.
"It worries me because we need to build a competitive squad for the big year ahead. I would like to keep a lot of people, but I know there are players who are not ours and who have to go back to their teams," he said.
"However, I think we will do things right and I am convinced that we will have a top squad that will be able to compete in all three competitions (LaLiga, Champions League and Spanish Cup)".
(Reporting by Angelica Medina in Mexico City, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
