La Liga leaders Barcelona will look to return to winning ways when they hit the road to square up against Celta Vigo on Saturday.
Barcelona have been one of the most dominant teams in Europe this season, but having lost their last outing prior to the international break, they will be eager to get things back on track with a win against Celta Vigo away from home on Saturday.
The home team have had a mixed start to the new season, and they are currently 11th on the table with 17 points in their 13 outings. The Galician outfit have five wins, two draws and six defeats so far.
The positive for Celta Vigo is that they have been unbeaten in their last three outings; winning two of those fixtures. The hosts are heading into this fixture on the back of a hard-fought 2-2 draw against Real Betis. While Barcelona will present a very difficult challenge, the home team will try their best to cause an upset.
The visitors are top of the table with 33 points in his 13 outings thanks to 11 wins. The Catalan giants have the best attack in the division having scored 40 goals, and Celta Vigo will find it difficult to stop them.
While the Blaugrana were on a roll, they suffered a shocking 1-0 defeat at the hands of Real Sociedad in their last outing. Despite dominating the ball, they could not create clear-cut chances and they surely felt the absence of Lamine Yamal who was out injured. The Hard Tackle takes a close look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could use.
Team News & Tactics
Celta Vigo
The home team could be without the services of Luca de la Torre, Jailson and Sergio Carreira as the trio remain a doubt for this fixture. Celta Vigo do not have any fresh injury concerns and expect them to field a very similar XI to the one that started in their last outing.
Celta Vigo will stick to the 3-4-3 formation against Barcelona, with Vicente Guaita in goal. Javi Rodriguez, who scored in their last outing should start at the heart of the defence alongside Carl Starfelt and Marcos Alonso.
The back three will look to keep things tight at the back against the best attack in the division. They will receive support from Oscar Mingueza and Javier Manquillo who will feature as wing-backs. Hugo Sotelo and Fran Beltran should feature in the centre of the park. In attack, Iago Aspas and Jonathan Bamba will provide the width while Borja Iglesias.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Guaita; Javi Rodriguez, Starfelt, Alonso; Mingueza, Sotelo, Beltran, Manquillo; Bamba, Iglesias, Aspas
Barcelona
Hansi Flick will be without as many as seven first-team stars as Ansu Fati, Lamine Yamal, Eric Garcia, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Marc Bernal, Andreas Christensen, and Ronald Araujo are all on the sidelines.
But, Barcelona do have a boost against Celta Vigo as Ferran Torres is back training and Robert Lewandowski who wasn’t on international duty during the break has regained full fitness. Flick will stick to the 4-2-3-1 formation which has done wonders for them so far.
Inaki Pena will be stationed between the sticks, while Jule Kounde and Alejandro Balde should be the full-backs. In the heart of the defence, Inigo Martinez should partner with teenage sensation Pau Cubarsi.
In the centre of the park, Frenkie de Jong will partner Marc Casado in the double pivot. The duo will shield the backline and ensure they dominate the ball. Pedri could take up the number ten role for this fixture, with Dani Olmo on the right flank and Raphinha on the left. Star striker Robert Lewandowski should continue to lead the line for Barcelona against Celta Vigo.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Pena; Kounde, Cubarsi, Martinez, Balde; Casado, De Jong; Olmo, Pedri, Raphinha; Lewandowski
Key Stats
- Barcelona have won 66 out of the 116 matches against Celta Vigo, who only have 23 wins to their name.
- Celta Vigo have only lost two of their last nine home games against Barcelona in La Liga.
- The Catalan giants have won four out of the last five league games against the home team.
- Hansi Flick’s team have lost seven of their 17 games at the Balaidos, they have lost more away games only at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in the same period.
- The Blaugrana were on a seven-match winning streak across competitions before they lost to Real Sociedad last time out.
Player to Watch
Dani Olmo
While injuries have caused quite a few problems for Olmo at the start of his career at Barcelona, he has been quite effective every time he has been on the pitch. The Spanish international has five goals in his six league outings, and he will be eager to add to it against Celta Vigo.
Prediction
Celta Vigo 1-3 Barcelona
Barcelona certainly struggled to create enough chances in their last outing against Real Sociedad. While it was certainly a tough day for them, they have enough quality in their squad to return to winning ways. Given the number of goals they have racked up in the league, Celta might not be able to stop the Catalan giants. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for the visitors.
