European hopefuls Celta Vigo will travel to Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys will face Barcelona on Saturday, with a win potentially boosting their chances of a top-six finish.
After securing a place in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals, Hansi Flick’s Barcelona will look to take another step towards the La Liga title when they host Celta Vigo at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on Saturday afternoon.
The home team are top of the table with 70 points in their 31 outings. The Blaugrana have a four-point lead over second-placed Real Madrid and could extend that lead to seven as the team in white won’t be in action until Sunday.
Barcelona are heading into this fixture against Celta Vigo on the back of a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg. While they lost on the night, the Catalan giants are through to the semis. It was a disappointing performance from Flick’s team and they will certainly be eager to return to winning ways.
The visitors are seventh on the table with 43 points in their 31 outings. They are five points behind sixth-placed Real Betis. With Real Betis dropping points in their previous two league outings, Celta Vigo could have closed the gap in their previous outing. However, they ended up suffering a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Espanyol.
While Celta dominated the ball and created a lot of chances, they were just not clinical enough. The Galician outfit will have to do much better to stand a chance against the Catalan giants. The Hard Tackle takes a close look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Team News & Tactics
Barcelona
Barcelona remain without the services of Marc-Andre ter Stegen (knee), Alejandro Balde (hamstring), Marc Casado (knee), and Marc Bernal (knee) against Celta Vigo on Saturday.
The Blaugrana did not suffer any fresh injury concerns in their game against Borussia Dortmund. However, Hansi Flick could still make a few changes to the XI that started in their defeat. Pedri and Inigo Martinez should both return to the XI.
Barcelona will stick to the 4-2-3-1 formation, where Wojciech Szczesny will be in goal. Jules Kounde and Gerard Martin should be the full-backs, while Martinez should pair up with Pau Cubarsi at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Frenkie de Jong should start alongside Pedri in the double pivot in the centre of the park. The duo will shield the backline and look to control the tempo of the game. Lamine Yamal and Raphinha will continue to feature on the flanks with Fermin Lopez taking up the no. 10 role. Finally, Robert Lewandowski will lead the line for Barcelona against Celta Vigo on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Szczesny; Kounde, Cubarsi, Inigo Martinez, Martin; de Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Fermin Lopez, Raphinha; Lewandowski
Celta Vigo
The visitors will be without the services of Hugo Alvarez and Carl Starfelt. Apart from the duo, everyone else is expected to be available for selection for Celta Vigo against Barcelona on Saturday.
Claudio Giraldez is expected to make a few changes to the team that started in Celta Vigo’s last outing when they take on the Blaugrana on Saturday. However, he should stick to the 4-5-1 formation, where Vicente Guaita will be in goal.
Javi Rodriguez and Oscar Mingueza will feature on the flanks for the away team, while Carlos Dominguez will pair up with former Barcelona defender Marcos Alonso at the heart of the defence. The back four will certainly have a tough day at the office as they will go up against the best attack in the competition.
Sergio Carreira and Alfonso Gonzalez will feature in the wide areas in midfield. They will look to support the full-backs and also provide width to their attacks going forward.
In the centre of the park, Fer Lopez should start alongside Fran Beltran and Ilaix Moriba. The trio will try to ensure Barcelona midfielders do not dominate the proceedings. Finally, Pablo Duran should spearhead the Celta Vigo attack against Barcelona on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (4-5-1): Guaita; Javi Rodriguez, Carlos Dominguez, Alonso, Mingueza; Carreira, Fer Lopez, Beltran, Moriba, Gonzalez; Duran
Key Stats
- Barcelona have won 77 out of the total 133 meetings between the two teams. Celta Vigo have come out on top just 28 times.
- Celta Vigo managed to hold the Blaugrana to a 2-2 draw in the reverse fixture back in November.
- Hansi Flick’s team have scored two goals in the last four games against Celta Vigo.
- Celta Vigo are unbeaten in their last four games away from home (W2 D2).
- Barcelona have the best attack in La Liga, having scored 84 goals in 31 outings. They have scored 40 more goals than the visitors.
Player to Watch
Fermin Lopez
Lopez did not have much game time in the first half of the season, but things have significantly improved for him in the recent past. The Spaniard has started the majority of their games of late, including both legs of the Champions League quarter-finals against Borussia Dortmund.
The 21-year-old has been involved in a total of 36 games, and he has racked up just over 1,500 minutes of first-team action. Lopez has contributed towards a total of 14 goals (5 goals, 9 assists). He has been in red-hot form of late and it won’t be much of a surprise if he ends up helping them secure all three points.
Prediction
Barcelona 3-1 Celta Vigo
Barcelona will head into the fixture as clear favourites despite their midweek defeat in Europe. With the title race heating up and Real Madrid not in action until Sunday, Hansi Flick’s men have the perfect opportunity to pile the pressure on their arch-rivals by extending their lead to seven points.
Celta Vigo might have done well in their recent away outings, but a trip to the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys is a completely different challenge. With Barcelona’s attacking trio in fine form and Fermin Lopez providing the creative spark, the hosts should have enough firepower to get the job done. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for the league leaders.
