Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid will look to keep their unbeaten run intact when they hit the road to face Celta Vigo.
Celta Vigo will aim for their fifth league win of the 2024/25 season when they host defending La Liga champions Real Madrid at Estadio Municipal de Balaidos on Saturday night.
The home team are ninth on the points table with 13 points in their nine outings. They have registered four wins and have lost as many games so far. Celta are heading into this clash against the Spanish giants on the back of a 1-0 win over UD Las Palmas prior to the international break. While it was not the best performance, they did get the job done.
However, the game against Los Blancos will be a lot tougher. They are second on the points table with 21 points in their nine outings with six wins and three draws. With league leaders Barcelona only three points ahead, the team in white won’t want to drop any more points with the first El Clasico of the 2024/25 season coming up next.
Carlo Ancelotti’s men are heading into this fixture on the back of a 2-0 win over Villarreal, and they will look to build on it. The Hard Tackle takes a close look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could use.
Team News & Tactics
Celta Vigo
Iago Aspas and Ilaix Moriba are both suspended for this fixture. Jailson and Luca de la Torre are both out injured while Jonathan Bamba’s availability is doubtful. Carl Starfelt also has an injury concern, but he is expected to overcome the knock.
The home team will most likely line up in a 3-4-3 formation, where Vicente Guaita will be between the sticks. The back three will be made up of Javier Manquillo, Carl Starfelt, and Marcos Alonso.
Oscar Mingueza and Hugo Alvarez will feature as the wing-backs, while Fran Beltran should pair up with Franco Cervi in the centre of the park. Pablo Duran and Williot Swedberg will provide the width to their attack, while Borja Iglesias will continue to lead the line.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Guaita; Manquillo, Starfelt, Alonso; Mingueza, Beltran, Cervi, Alvarez; Duran, Iglesias, Swedberg
Real Madrid
Los Blancos suffered a major blow ahead of the international break as Dani Carvajal picked up a serious knee injury. He is all set to be out for the rest of the season. Thibaut Courtois is still a doubt, so Andriy Lunin could continue in goal. Brahim Diaz and David Alaba remain on the sidelines.
However, they do a major boost as Vinicius Junior and Eder Militao are expected to be fully fit for this one. Carlo Ancelotti will stick to the 4-3-3 formation. Lunin will be in goal, with Lucas Vazquez expected to be the right-back from here on. Ferland Mendy will continue on the left flank, while Antonio Rudiger should pair up with Militao in the heart of the defence.
Jude Bellingham will start alongside Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni in the centre of the park. The French international will be the defensive pillar, while the other two will have a box-to-box role. Brazilian duo Rodrygo and Vinicius will be on the flanks, while Kylian Mbappe will continue to lead the line for Real Madrid against Celta Vigo.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Lunin; Vazquez, Militao, Rudiger, Mendy; Valverde, Tchouameni, Bellingham; Rodrygo, Mbappe, Vinicius
Key Stats
- Real Madrid have won 30 out of the last 42 matches against Celta Vigo who only have seven wins to their name.
- The home team have not secured a single win in their last 20 outings against Carlo Ancelotti’s team.
- Celta Vigo have lost each of their last eight games against Los Blancos.
- Real Madrid have been unbeaten in their last 41 league game.
- Os Celestes have failed to win their last two home games.
Player to Watch
Jude Bellingham
Bellingham was one of the standout players for Real Madrid last season. He flourished as a no. 10 behind the two forwards. The arrival of Mbappe has seen the Englishman being pused back into a deeper role, and he has not really had the kind of impact he would have linked, with just two assists in his eight outings. He will be eager to get his name on the scoresheet and get off the mark in the new campaign when they take the field against Celta Vigo.
Prediction
Celta Vigo 0-3 Real Madrid
Los Blancos will be looking to keep their 41-match unbeaten run in the league intact and more importantly, they would look to ensure they keep the pressure on Barcelona, who are three points ahead at this point.
On the other hand, Celta Vigo are heading into this game on the back of a win. However, they do not have enough in their squad to take down Real Madrid. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-0 win for the away team.