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Having only suffered two league defeats since Christmas, Celta currently find themselves occupying sixth position in the table. The Sky Blues are also through to the last sixteen of the Europa League, after eliminating Greek outfit PAOK in the previous round.
Despite enjoying an extremely positive campaign, Vigo have often struggled at the Balaídos. A return of just 17 points from their 13 home fixtures will be a real source of concern, as Claudio Giráldez’s men look to secure European qualification for the second consecutive season.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid will be desperate to return to winning ways after losing further ground in the title race on Monday evening. The 36-time La Liga champions were beaten 1-0 by local rivals Getafe in an ill-tempered encounter, with both teams being reduced to ten men during the closing stages. Having also suffered a narrow defeat to mid-table Osasuna nine days earlier, Álvaro Arbeloa’s men are now four points behind Barcelona at the summit.
Prior to those two losses, Madrid had registered eight consecutive league victories. That impressive winning streak dates back to the last meeting between Friday night’s opponents, when Celta Vigo’s shock triumph at the Bernabéu helped to expedite Xabi Alonso’s exit.
Nevertheless, Los Blancos will make the long trip north in confident spirits given their superb recent away form. No team in the division has accumulated more points on the road, thanks to Madrid’s record of eight wins and three draws in their opening 13 away outings.
Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch Friday night’s clash in Vigo on Premier Sports, with kick-off scheduled for 20:00 (BST).
Celta Vigo v Real Madrid – Key information
Date: Friday, February 6th
Kick-off time: 20:00 (BST)
Venue: Estadio de Balaídos, Vigo
TV Channels/Live stream: Premier Sports 1
Odds: Celta Vigo: 9/4, Draw: 13/5, Real Madrid: 11/10
Odds provided by bet365
Celta Vigo v Real Madrid team news
Although Claudio Giráldez has several injury headaches to contend with, these pale into insignificance when reviewing Álvaro Arbeloa’s current absentee list. The former Liverpool full-back has no less than ten first-team players unavailable, most of whom usually feature in Real Madrid’s starting XI.
Although Giráldez may look to adopt a more cautious approach given his opponent’s attacking capabilities, expect Celta Vigo to line up in their familiar 3-4-3 formation.
Celta Vigo team news
Having been suspended for Sunday night’s victory over Girona after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season against Mallorca, powerful frontman Borja Iglesias returns to lead the line. However, there’s a question mark over whether Marcos Alonso will feature, as the experienced defender is recovering from a knock.
Pablo Durán has missed Celta’s last two fixtures thanks to an ongoing knee injury, while fellow attacker Franco Cervi – who is yet to make a single league appearance this term – is out with a muscle strain. After enduring a mystery illness that was later revealed to have been caused by the presence of mould in his home, Carl Starfelt has now been ruled out due to an undisclosed issue.
Hugo Sotelo is still nursing a sprained ankle but featured as an unused substitute at the Estadi Montilivi, so could potentially be introduced from the bench on Friday night. However, there was a further setback for Carlos Domínguez, who limped off with just five minutes remaining of last weekend’s contest. The Vigo-born defender was making his first start since early December, when he was shown a red card in the minutes leading up to Celta’s penalty shootout success over fourth-tier outfit Sant Andreu. Academy graduate Yoel Lago remains sidelined.
Celta Vigo predicted lineup v Real Madrid (3-4-3)
Coach: Claudio Giráldez
Ionuț Radu (GK); Javi Rodríguez, Joseph Aidoo, Marcos Alonso; Javi Rueda, Matías Vecino, Ilaix Moriba, Sergio Carreira; Ferran Jutglà, Borja Iglesias, Williot Swedberg
Real Madrid team news
Kylian Mbappé headlines Real Madrid’s contingent of crocked stars, as the talented Frenchman continues to wrestle with a persistent knee problem. Although there is some concern over whether he’ll be fit enough to play regularly in the coming weeks, recent medical assessments have revealed that Mbappé won’t require surgery.
After pulling his hamstring during last month’s triumph over Rayo Vallecano, Jude Bellingham remains sidelined. The English midfielder – who spent the opening weeks of the season recovering from shoulder surgery – is expected to return in early April, so could be involved in the Champions League quarter-finals if Madrid can overcome Manchester City in the last sixteen. Brazilian defender Éder Militão is also out with a hamstring injury, having not played since that damaging defeat to Celta in early December.
There was some devastating news for Rodrygo earlier in the week, as it was confirmed he had ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament and therefore would not be able to participate in this summer’s World Cup. Raúl Asencio is still experiencing pain in his neck following last week’s nasty collision with Eduardo Camavinga, who was unable to contribute on Monday evening due to a dental emergency. Austrian international David Alaba faces a late fitness after developing a calf issue in that shock loss to Getafe, while Dani Ceballos is out with a torn muscle.
Álvaro Arbeloa is also unable to call upon the services of three suspended players. Defensive duo Dean Huijsen and Álvaro Carreras received their fifth bookings of the campaign last time out, just before Franco Mastantuono was handed his marching orders for directing verbal abuse towards 24-year-old referee Alejandro Muñiz Ruiz.
With at least three central defenders missing, Aurélien Tchouaméni may be required to vacate his more familiar deep-lying midfield position to provide cover.
Real Madrid predicted lineup v Celta Vigo (4-2-3-1)
Coach: Álvaro Arbeloa
Thibaut Courtois (GK); Dani Carvajal, Antonio Rüdiger, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Fran García; Thiago Pitarch Pinar, Eduardo Camavinga; Federico Valverde, Arda Güler, Vinícius Júnior; Gonzalo García
Where to watch on TV or live stream?
Premier Sports will provide exclusive live coverage of this keenly anticipated contest, with the build-up commencing just five minutes before the action commences. The same network is also showing the LaLiga 2 meeting between Cádiz and Real Zaragoza on Friday night, so Premier Sports customers can choose which serving of Spanish football they prefer.
Real Madrid’s visit to the Estadio de Balaídos is slated for Premier Sports 1, while Cádiz and Real Zaragoza lock horns over on Premier Sports 2.
Head-to-head record
Prior to December’s stunning victory in the Spanish capital, Celta Vigo had lost each of the previous eleven meetings with Real Madrid.
Their next most recent triumph over Los Blancos came way back in January 2017, when the two teams clashed at the quarter-final stage of the Copa del Rey. Goals from Jonny Otto and club legend Iago Aspas helped Celta claim a famous 2-1 win at the Bernabéu, before a 2-2 draw in the return leg ensured the Galicians progressed to the last four.
There have been 38 previous meetings between these La Liga stalwarts, with Real Madrid emerging triumphant on 29 of these occasions.
Celta Vigo v Real Madrid – Match result odds
The odds, correct at the time of publication, are subject to change. All odds provided by bet365.