Girona vs Barcelona live score, highlights: Pedri scores as Barca lead 1-0, Dembele injured

High-flying La Liga leaders Barcelona will hope to extend their lead atop the table and conclude a successful January with victory when they travel to promoted side Girona in a Catalan derby matchup.

Barcelona won the Supercopa de Espana and advanced to the semifinals of the Copa del Rey, and they can assure themselves of finishing the first half of the La Liga season on top of the league with a win.

It's the start of an important week in the title race for Barcelona, with three league matches in eight days: away at Real Betis (Wednesday, Feb. 1) and home against Sevilla (Sunday, Feb. 5) to come.

Girona, back in La Liga for the first time since 2018/19, have enjoyed a solid start to the season in their bid to avoid the drop back down to the second division. They sit in 12th place - four points from the relegation zone - and have played well, including earning a draw at Real Madrid.

Girona have lost just one of their last eight La Liga matches. That defeat came via a controversial stoppage-time penalty kick last week at Villarreal.

Sporting News is following the Girona vs. Barcelona match live and providing live score updates, commentary.

MORE: Barcelona's fixtures and results in 2022/23

75th min.: Yellow card Girona. Arnau gets it for a foul from behind on Jordi Alba. Arnau will be suspended for the next match for yellow card accumulation.

73rd min.: Chance Girona! What a defensive clearance by Ronaldo Araujo to stop a sure header goal from Girona. It leads to a corner kick and there's a penalty shout but the referee doesn't go for it.

But replays showed that Eric Garcia had his arm wrapped around Cristhian Stuani's waist. That looked like a penalty.

70th min.: SUBS for Girona. Two attacking changes for the home team. Cristhian Stuani is on for Taty Castellanos who was running hard all game. Also, Yan Couto picked up an ankle injury and Toni Villa comes on for him wide right.

65th min.: Girona goal disallowed. Arnau scores it, but he was clearly offside on the pass from Taty Castellanos.

61st min.: Goal Barcelona! Pedri puts it home at the far post after a nice move down the left by Jordi Alba, who sends it across the six-yard box.

60th min.: SUB Girona. Valery Fernandez is on for Yangel Herrera. Girona is adding a sprinkle of attacking flair.

58th min.: Chance Girona. It's a rare attack, but once again it came with a ball down the right for Yan Couto. Except the Brazilian was offside. A few minutes before, Girona center forward Valentin Castellanos was busy defending in his own half. The home team are committed to the defensive effort today.

50th min.: Yellow card Barcelona. This time it's Gavi's turn for a sliding tackle on Girona right-back Arnau Martinez. It was a soft yellow card.

48th min.: Raphinha hasn't started this second half any better with a wild blast high over the bar.

46th min.: Second half is underway with no subs for Girona, but Barcelona bring on Jordi Alba for Marcos Alonso at left-back.

Halftime: There were more yellow cards (3) than total shots on target in the first half (2). That tells you all you need to know. There's not a ton of creativity or risk-taking happening by either side. We'll see how much the teams open up in the second half.

45th min.: Yellow card Barcelona. Pedri can't believe a Girona handball was not called by the referee, and he gets a caution card for his troubles (it was a clear infraction, but the referee didn't see it).

45th min.: Yellow card Girona. Taty Castellanos goes into the referee's book for a high arm on Sergio Busquets as they both rose up for a header. The elbow wasn't pointed or it could've been a worse outcome for the ex-NYCFC player.

43rd min.: Yellow card Barcelona. Ansu Fati receives it because he didn't pull out of a sliding challenge on the goalkeeper for a ball that Fati had no chance to reach. The contact was minimal, but it was reckless.

41st min.: Chance Barcelona. The ball falls to Pedri in the box, and he controls and takes a weak shot that Girona 'keeper Paulo Gazzaniga easily stops.

40th min.: No chances to speak of. Both teams are imprecise with their passing, spaces are limited, and the cold is not helping. The loss of Dembele is a big one for Barcelona because he was someone who could win 1-on-1 battles and create openings.

29th min.: Chance Barcelona. Another giveaway by the Girona backline (this time by Juanpe), and Ansu Fati fires a shot high. It's those types of errors that have cost Girona dearly this season.

26th min.: SUB Barcelona. Pedri is in for Dembele, and it's Gavi who shifts to take his place wide left. Meanwhile, Pedri settles in as the right central midfielder for his 100th match in Barcelona colours.

24th min.: And with Raphinha struggling to make a difference, Ousmane Dembele has an issue with his left foot. He's looking at the bench and Pedri is warming up. He's asking for a sub.

20th min.: Raphinha is not liking the cold. His latest corner kick was poor, and Girona's left-back Miguel Gutierrez has owned him on that flank.

15th min.: Chance Barcelona. Girona 'keeper Paulo Gazzaniga gives the ball away in his own box (!!!) as Girona tries to play out of the back. He recovers to block Ousmane Dembele's shot on the left side.

In the meantime, enjoy this nutmeg by Girona left-back Miguel Gutierrez on Barcelona's Raphinha.

10th min.: This match is going just as you'd have imagined. Barcelona owning possession, but they're dulled by the cold and Girona are the more lively side. The only issue is that the home team can't keep it for long.

3rd min.: Chance Girona. It's a quick transition for the home team and Brazilian Yan Couto, who was a surprise inclusion in the lineup, makes the run down the right side of the Barcelona box. But the move is thwarted for a corner. There was a penalty shout, but no infraction on the play.

1st min.: Barcelona kick off wearing the yellow kits. Raphinha is playing wide right with Ousmane Dembele forced to occupy the left wing position.

5 mins from kickoff: Both teams are out on the field. Beautiful choreography from the main stand at Girona's Montilivi Stadium. It's cold with the wind chill making it feel like 2 degrees Celsius (35 degrees Farenheit).

15 mins from kickoff: Based on the sounds during warmups, there should be a cracking atmosphere for this match.

35 mins from kickoff: This is the last match that Barcelona will have to do without Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres, who are both out due to suspension. Lewandowski had a three-game ban to serve, while Torres had to sit out two matches.

65 mins from kickoff: Lineups are out. Ansu Fati confirmed as the center forward / false nine, and Pedri will be on the bench. Girona go with a defensive-minded 4-5-1 formation.

75 mins from kickoff: Here's a look at Girona's stadium (Estadio Montilivi) which seats just under 12,000 people. According to Spain's statistical institute, Girona's population is just under 800,000.

120 mins from kickoff: Since losing 3-1 at Real Madrid on October 16, Barcelona have won seven of their eight La Liga matches, keeping clean sheets in five of those victories.

130 mins from kickoff: Here's what the Montilivi pitch looked like this morning. Low overnight temperatures meant it was frozen to start the day. They expect it to be fine for play as the temperature rises throughout the day.

140 mins from kickoff: The match is a Catalan derby and Barcelona haven't tasted defeat in one of those for some time.

150 mins from kickoff: Barcelona will be donning new threads for the Catalan derby.

Girona manager Michel will have to do without one of his best defenders as centre-back Santi Bueno sits out due to suspension. He also opts to field a right-back at right wing (Yan Couto) instead of the more attack-minded Ivan Martin or Toni Villa who are both on the bench. Brazilian attacker Reinier, defensive midfielder Ibrahima Kebe, and centre-back David Lopez are still out injured.

Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres are out for Barcelona, serving the final match in their respective suspension. Teenage academy player Angel Alarcon was named to the squad in their absence. Pedri is in the squad against Girona, but he will not start since he's coming off taking a knock to the knee in the midweek Copa del Rey match.

The match takes place at the sold-out Estadio Municipal Montilivi, where Girona have lost just two of their nine matches this season (vs. Celta Vigo and Real Sociedad). They have not suffered defeat at home since October 2.

This is only the third trip to the stadium for Barcelona, who have won on each of their previous two visits.

UK: The match will be exclusively available on LaLigaTV.

USA: The Girona vs. Barcelona match will be televised on ESPN Deportes which is streamed on fuboTV. It will also be streamed in English and Spanish on ESPN+.

Canada: TSN holds TV and streaming rights for La Liga in Canada. The Girona vs. Barcelona match will be televised on TSN4 and streaming on TSN's online platforms.

Australia: Fans in Australia can stream all La Liga matches live and on demand on Optus Sport.