League leaders Real Madrid will look to return to winning ways when they host relegation-threatened Celta Vigo at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Real Madrid will look to strengthen their position at the top of the table when they host Celta Vigo at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday. The visitors will look to make it consecutive wins in the league as they look to survive in the Spanish top flight.
Los Blancos have a five-point lead at the top of the table, and a win will help them extend it to eight with second-placed Girona having played an extra game. They have also made it to the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals.
Overall, the season has been a great success so far, but their recent form has been a cause of concern. The Merengues have only won two out of their last five league games and are heading into this one on the back of a disappointing draw against RB Leipzig in the second leg of the Round of 16 fixture.
Visitors Celta Vigo might not have been at their best since the start of the season. But they have accumulated four points in their last two outings and are currently 17th on the points table with 24 points out of their 27 matches.
They have a five-point buffer over 18th-placed Cadiz, and a win here will do them the world of good in their fight for survival. They are heading into this one on the back of a 1-0 over Almeria and will be confident of giving Los Blancos a great fight here. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could put to use.
Team News & Tactics
Real Madrid
Thibaut Courtois, Eder Militao, and David Alaba are all out with long-term ACL injuries. While Real Madrid do not have any more injuries, they have not been able to overturn Jude Bellingham’s suspension, meaning he misses out.
Carlo Ancelotti will make a few changes to the XI that started in their last outing after he admitted that it was not the right decision to bench Rodrygo Goes and go ahead with five midfielders.
The home side will stick to the 4-4-2 formation, where Andriy Lunin will continue in goal. Dani Carvajal and Ferland Mendy will be the full-backs. Aurelien Tchouameni could drop back into the heart of the defence alongside Antonio Rudiger.
The back four will have the support of Luka Modric, who could feature as the holding midfielder. Federico Valverde and Toni Kroos will be in his support, while Brahim Diaz will take Bellingham’s place in the XI. Meanwhile, the Brazilian pair of Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior will start up top.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Lunin; Carvajal, Rudiger, Tchouameni, Mendy; Valverde, Modric, Kroos; Diaz, Rodrygo, Vinicius
Celta Vigo
The visitors have a long list of absentees heading into this fixture. Renato Tapia, Joseph Aidoo, Miguel Rodriguez and Mihailo Ristic are all out injured, while Williot Swedberg and Carlos Dotor’s availability is doubtful.
Celta Vigo have a major boost as Iago Aspas is back available following a suspension. Rafael Benitez will stick with the majority of the players that started in their last outing. It will be the 4-4-2 formation, where Vicente Guaita will be in goal. Manu Sanchez and Javier Manquillo will be the two full-backs. They will look to support Unai Nunez and Carl Starfelt, who will feature in the heart of the defence.
Oscar Mingueza and Jonathan Bamba will feature out wide on the flanks in the centre of the park. Meanwhile, Fran Beltran and Luca de la Torre will start in a more central role. They will look to ensure the Real Madrid midfielders do not end up dominating the proceedings. In attack, we will have Iago Aspas pair up with Jorgen Strand Larsen.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Guaita; Manquillo, Starfelt, U Nunez, Sanchez; Mingueza, Beltran, De la Torre, Bamba; Larsen, Aspas
Key Stats
- Celta Vigo have accumulated 11 points away from home in the league.
- The visitors have not defeated Real Madrid in La Liga since May 2014.
- Real Madrid have won each of their last seven league fixtures against Celta Vigo.
- Los Blancos have the second-best record at home in the league. They have 11 wins in their 13 matches and have only conceded seven goals at the Bernabeu.
- The team in white won the reverse leg 1-0 at the start of the season.
Player to Watch
Brahim Diaz
Diaz did not take any part in the recent disappointing 1-1 draw against RB Leipzig. While Real Madrid did go through on aggregate, it was not really a good enough performance in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 second leg.
With Jude Bellingham out, Diaz will start as the attacking midfielder. The 24-year-old has had quite an impact in the recent past. He has 12 goal contributions to his name in the ongoing season and will look to add to it and help Los Blancos return to their best with the business end of the season here.
Prediction
Real Madrid 3-0 Celta Vigo
Los Blancos might have struggled against RB Leipzig, and they do have a lot of quality in their ranks. And, they will be eager to bounce back. Irrespective of their recent form, they will be a huge challenge for the visitors.
Celta Vigo have been in decent form of late, and they will give it their all to claim all three points as they fight for survival in the Spanish top flight. But, it still might not be enough. The Hard Tackle predicts an easy 3-0 win for the home team, who will go all out attack from the start.
