Real Madrid and Celta Vigo clash at Abanca-Balaidos on Friday night in a crucial La Liga encounter.
Los Blancos can ill-afford another slip-up as they trail Barcelona by four points, while Celta aim to consolidate their push for European qualification.
Celta Vigo vs Real Madrid – Match preview and team news
- Date: Friday, 6th March.
- Kick-off: 8pm BST.
- Venue: Estadio Abanca Balaidos, Vigo.
Celta Vigo team news
Celta Vigo will be boosted by the return of striker Borja Iglesias from suspension. The 33-year-old forward has been in sensational form this season, netting 10 goals in 23 La Liga appearances.
However, Claudio Giraldez’s side will be without a few players. Marcos Alonso, Carl Starfelt, and striker Pablo Duran are all sidelined with injuries and will miss the match against Real Madrid. Franco Cervi also remains sidelined.
Ferran Jutgla will have to make way for Iglesias to return. Fer López and Hugo Alvarez are expected to keep their place in the wide areas.
Real Madrid team news
Real Madrid arrive at Vigo in crisis mode after suffering back-to-back La Liga defeats. The injury crisis has deepened significantly for Alvaro Arbeloa’s side.
Star forward Kylian Mbappe remains sidelined with a knee sprain and is expected to return only for the second leg against Manchester City on March 17.
The devastating news came when Rodrygo was confirmed to have suffered an ACL rupture, ruling him out for the rest of the season at the very least.
Adding to Madrid’s woes, Alvaro Carreras, Dean Huijsen, and Franco Mastantuono are all suspended.
Jude Bellingham, David Alaba, Eder Militao, and Dani Ceballos also remain sidelined, with none expected to return in time for the Champions League round of 16.
Form
Celta Vigo
Celta Vigo have been in excellent form, winning four consecutive matches across all competitions.
Most impressively, they secured back-to-back victories over Mallorca (2-0) and Girona (2-0) to propel themselves into the top six. This week is crucial for Os Celestes, as they face Madrid before taking on Lyon in the Europa League Round of 16 first leg on March 12.
Real Madrid
Real Madrid’s form has nosedived at the worst possible time. After beating Real Sociedad 4-1 on February 14 and Valencia 2-0 on February 8, they have suffered consecutive league defeats to Osasuna (2-1) on February 21 and Getafe (1-0) on March 2.
Despite the recent struggles, Real Madrid remains second in La Liga with 60 points from 26 matches. However, the gap to Barcelona has widened to four points, and they cannot afford another slip-up if they harbour title ambitions.
Predicted lineups
Celta Vigo: Radu; Rodriguez, Aidoo, Dominguez; Mingueza, Roman, Moriba, Carreira; Lopez, Iglesias, Alvarez.
Real Madrid: Courtois; Alexander-Arnold, Mendy, Rudiger, F Garcia; Valverde, Tchouameni, Camavinga; Guler; G Garcia, Vinicius.
How to watch Celta Vigo vs Real Madrid
Fans from the United Kingdom can watch the match live on Premier Sports 1.
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