Real Madrid will look to return to winning ways when they hit the road to square up against an in-form Celta Vigo at Balaidos on Friday.
Real Madrid’s title hopes have taken a massive blow in recent weeks, and they will be eager to get things back on track when they face Celta Vigo, who will be looking to make it three consecutive wins in La Liga.
The home team are sixth on the table with 40 points in their 26 matches. They have won ten, drawn ten, and lost six matches so far. Celta Vigo are just three points behind fifth-placed Real Betis, who occupy the Europa League spot. The Galician outfit have lost one out of their last five league outings, and they are heading into this on the back of four straight wins in competitions.
The hosts secured a 2-1 win over Girona last time out. While it certainly was not an ideal performance from their side, they did get the job done. However, Celta Vigo will have to do much better to stand a chance against Real Madrid, who will go all out to get their season back on track.
Meanwhile, the visitors are second on the table with 60 points in their 26 outings. They have won 19, drawn three, and lost four matches thus far. Two of those defeats have come in their last two league outings, and the Merengues are now four points behind league leaders Barcelona.
Just weeks after taking a two-point lead at the top of the table, Real Madrid’s season has been completely derailed. Not only are they heading into this fixture on the back of defeats at the hands of Osasuna and Getafe, but they will also be without quite a few of their first-team stars. Things are certainly getting very complicated for Alvaro Arbeloa’s men. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Team News & Tactics
Celta Vigo
Celta Vigo have a massive boost ahead of this fixture as Borja Iglesias is back available after serving a suspension last time out. But they do remain without the services of Marcos Alonso (undisclosed), Carl Starfelt (undisclosed) and Pablo Duran (knee) because of injury.
The home team will line up in a 3-4-3 formation, where Ionut Radu will be in goal. The back three will be made up of Javi Rodriguez, Joseph Aidoo, and Carlos Dominguez. They will look to keep things tight at the back and will receive significant support from Oscar Mingueza and Sergio Carreira.
As for the midfield unit, Miguel Roman will partner with Ilaix Moriba in the centre of the park. The duo will look to ensure the Real Madrid midfielders do not dominate the midfield battle. They will look to create opportunities to push the leaky Madrid defence on the back foot.
In the final third, Borja Iglesias will return to the starting XI to lead the line for Celta Vigo against Real Madrid. Ferran Jutgla is expected to be pushed out wide on the right flank, while Hugo Alvarez will take charge on the left flank.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Radu; Rodriguez, Aidoo, Dominguez; Mingueza, Roman, Moriba, Carreira; Jutgla, Iglesias, Alvarez
Real Madrid
Alvaro Arbeloa has some serious thinking to do ahead of this fixture as he could be without as many as ten first-team stars. Rodrygo’s ACL injury is the latest blow they have suffered, with the Brazilian now set to be out for around ten months.
He has joined Kylian Mbappe (knee), Dani Ceballos (calf), Jude Bellingham (hamstring), Raul Asencio (neck), and Eder Militao (hamstring) on the sidelines. David Alaba (calf) is a doubt for this fixture, while Dean Huijsen, Alvaro Carreras and Franco Mastantuono are suspended.
Los Blancos will most likely stick with the 4-3-1-2 formation, where Thibaut Courtois will continue be in goal. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Fran Garcia are expected to be the full-backs, while Aurelien Tchouameni could be asked to fill in at centre-back alongside Antonio Rudiger.
Thiago Pinar could be handed another start in midfield. He should have the support of skipper Federico Valverde and Eduardo Camavinga, who is back in training after missing the Getafe clash. Arda Guler will be the attacking midfielder, while Gonzalo Garcia will pair up with Vinicius Junior in the final third.
Probable Lineup (4-3-1-2): Courtois; Alexander-Arnold, Rudiger, Tchouameni, Fran Garcia; Valverde, Pinar, Camavinga; Guler; Gonzalo Garcia, Vinicius Junior
Key Stats
- Real Madrid are heading into this fixture on the back of consecutive defeats in the league for the first time since 2019.
- Celta Vigo have won each of their last four games across competitions.
- The home team have only lost one out of their last five league games.
- Real Madrid have not lost an away game against the Sky Blues since May 2014.
- Celta Vigo will be eyeing a historic double over Real Madrid have won away from home back in December (2-0).
Player to Watch
Gonzalo Garcia
It is no longer about Garcia making the most out of the opportunity he gets, with a host of their first-team stars out injured, Alvaro Arbeloa will hope the 21-year-old steps up and delivers. There is too much pressure on Vinicius Junior’s shoulders, and the Spanish youth international needs to help him out.
The youngster already has six goals and two assists in just over 1,100 minutes of first-team action, and he will certainly be eager to add to his tally against Celta Vigo and help his team return to winning ways.
Prediction
Celta Vigo 1-2 Real Madrid
Celta Vigo will certainly fancy their chances heading into this fixture, given their impressive recent run and Real Madrid’s growing list of absentees. Playing at home with momentum on their side, the Sky Blues could trouble Los Blancos, especially against a defence that has looked far from convincing in recent weeks.
However, despite the setbacks, Real Madrid still possesses enough quality to grind out a result. With players like Vinicius Junior capable of making the difference in decisive moments, Los Blancos should have just enough to edge a closely contested encounter and get their season back on track. The Hard Tackle predicts a hard-fought 2-1 win for Celta Vigo.