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Celta Vigo are currently enjoying an extremely positive spell, having registered four straight wins across all competitions. They are now sixth in the table following recent victories over Mallorca and Girona, which came after a short sequence of disappointing league results at the beginning of the year. Consequently, Claudio Giráldez's men will head into Friday's clash with plenty of optimism. However, the Galicians' performances at home are a source of concern. Despite winning four of their last five contests at the Estadio de Balaídos, the Sky Blues have picked up more points at opposing venues this season.
If Celta can secure maximum points on Friday night, it will provide a welcome boost ahead of next week's Europa League last sixteen meeting with French giants Lyon.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid are still reeling after suffering shock defeats to Osasuna and Getafe. However, the 36-time La Liga champions boast an exceptional away record, so will be confident of returning to winning ways when they head to Galicia later this week.
Celta secured a headline-grabbing triumph in the reverse fixture between these two teams, leaving a dent on Real Madrid's title hopes in the process. Can the hosts deliver another statement victory?
Predictions for Celta Vigo v Real Madrid
Real Madrid to win: 11/10 (bet365)
Courtois to make 3+ saves: 10/11 (bet365)
Over 8.5 Shots on Target: 4/7 (bet365)
Odds valid at the time of publication and subject to change.
Down but not out
Despite heading into this one off the back of two disappointing results, Real Madrid's away form makes them clear favourites for Friday's encounter. Before that 2-1 defeat to Osasuna, they went eight league matches on the road without being beaten. Furthermore, Los Blancos have been the dominant force in this fixture for some time, with their latest loss in Vigo coming way back in 2014.
Although they won in the Spanish capital a few short months ago, Celta have lost each of the previous eleven meetings between these two teams. Moreover, the Galicians haven't managed a league double over Madrid since the 1998/99 campaign.
Given their strong record at the Balaídos and recent performances in away fixtures, odds of 11/10 for a Real Madrid victory undoubtedly offer decent value.
Prediction: Real Madrid to win: 11/10 (bet365)
Explanation: This bet lands if Real Madrid win the match.
Courtois called into action
Celta Vigo have demonstrated plenty of attacking intent in home fixtures. They've won four of their last five outings at the Balaídos, scoring at least once after the 75th minute in four of these matches. This not only suggests an ambition to play on the front foot, but also tells us they maintain a high level of attacking pressure right until the end.
In recent wins over Mallorca and Girona, Celta created a vast number of goalscoring opportunities. With Madrid likely to leave defensive gaps as they seek a win that would keep them within touching distance of league leaders Barcelona, the Sky Blues can expect to get plenty of sights of goal once again. Therefore, don't be surprised if Thibaut Courtois has a busy night between the sticks.
Prediction: Courtois to make 3+ saves: 10/11 (bet365)
Explanation: This bet lands if Courtois makes three or more saves.
An end-to-end encounter
The stats suggest we're set for plenty of attacking action. Celta Vigo are looking for a fifth consecutive win and have netted at least twice in each of their last two league fixtures. Their habit of scoring late goals on home soil will encourage them to keep pushing forward throughout the duration of the 90 minutes.
Real Madrid have recorded more clean sheets (11) than any other team in La Liga, but are still prone to conceding chances. There have been ten or more corners in each of their last five away league matches, so we can expect the ball to spend plenty of time in both final thirds on Friday evening.
For the reasons outlined above, backing there to be at least eight shots on target feels like a statistically solid bet.
Prediction: Over 8.5 Shots on Target: 4/7 (bet365)
Explanation: This bet will land if there are more than eight shots on target in the match, regardless of which team registers these attempts.
Celta Vigo v Real Madrid: Match result odds
Odds valid at the time of publication and subject to change.
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Odds valid at the time of publication and subject to change.