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Celta Vigo logo
La Liga | Gameweek 28
Mar 20, 2021 at 3.15pm UK
Balaidos
Real Madrid logo

Celta Vigo
1 - 3
Real Madrid

Mina (40')
Tapia (25'), Suarez (78'), Solari (85')
FT(HT: 1-2)
Benzema (20', 30'), Asensio (90+4')
Junior (22'), Kroos (39'), Nacho (70'), Modric (80')

Preview: Celta Vigo vs. Real Madrid - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Saturday's La Liga clash between Celta Vigo and Real Madrid, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Real Madrid will be looking to make it three victories in a row in all competitions when they continue their La Liga campaign away to Celta Vigo on Saturday afternoon.

Los Blancos are currently third in the table, six points behind leaders Atletico Madrid, while Celta occupy 10th position, having picked up 34 points from their 27 league games this term.


Match preview

Celta Vigo head coach Eduardo Coudet pictured in January 2021© Reuters

Celta's form in the early stages of the campaign was disappointing as they struggled towards the bottom of the table, but a change in fortunes in recent months has left them up in 10th position in the division, picking up 34 points from 27 matches to sit comfortably clear of the relegation zone.

The Sky Blues are currently 11 points clear of the bottom three, while they are only six points off the top seven and should therefore be looking up the division rather than down at this stage.

Eduardo Coudet's side will bring a three-match unbeaten run into Saturday's contest, having drawn with Real Valladolid and Athletic Bilbao, and beaten Huesca, since a 2-0 loss at Valencia on February 20.

Celta have actually only lost one of their last eight in Spain's top flight, but they suffered a 2-0 defeat to Madrid in the reverse league match earlier this season, while Zinedine Zidane's team ran out 3-1 winners when the two teams last locked horns in Vigo in August 2019.

Real Madrid's Karim Benzema celebrates scoring their first goal against Atalanta in the Champions League on March 16, 2021© Reuters

Madrid, meanwhile, will enter this weekend's match off the back of a 3-1 victory over Atalanta BC in the second leg of their last-16 Champions League contest, which saw the Spanish champions advance 4-1 on aggregate.

Karim Benzema, Sergio Ramos and Marco Asensio were all on the scoresheet against the Italian club, and Zidane's key players appear to be finding their best form at a vital stage of the campaign.

Los Blancos have drawn two of their last three in the league, but a 2-1 win over Elche last weekend moved them onto 57 points, leaving them in third position, six points behind leaders Atletico.

Diego Simeone's team are no longer comfortable at the top, with Barca just four points behind in second, and there is a three-way title race developing, which did not look to be the case earlier this year.

Madrid will face Celta and Eibar in back-to-back league games before hosting Barca on April 10, and it could still be a very successful end to the season for the club despite their issues this term.

Celta Vigo La Liga form:
  • D
  • W
  • L
  • D
  • W
  • D

Real Madrid La Liga form:
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • D
  • D
  • W

Real Madrid form (all competitions):
  • W
  • W
  • D
  • D
  • W
  • W


Team News

Real Madrid winger Eden Hazard pictured on January 23, 2021© Reuters

Celta will again be without the services of Ruben Blanco, Emre Mor and Sergio Alvarez through injury this weekend, but Hugo Mallo is available, having served a one-game ban against Athletic.

Mallo should return to the back four at right-back, but it could otherwise be the same side that started last time out, with Denis Suarez and Renato Tapia operating in the middle of the park.

Iago Aspas is a certain starter in the final third of the field, with Santi Mina expected to join him once again, while Nolito and Brais Mendez should feature in the wide positions.

As for Madrid, Dani Carvajal, Alvaro Odriozola and Mariano Diaz are again absent through injury, while Eden Hazard has picked up another muscular problem and is facing a period on the sidelines.

Sergio Ramos has also been left out of the squad due to a tibia issue, meaning that Nacho could start alongside Raphael Varane at the heart of the defence.

Casemiro is available for selection, having missed out against Atalanta through suspension, and the Brazilian should return to the starting side, with Federico Valverde potentially dropping out of the midfield.

A change to a 4-3-3 formation could also allow Asensio to return to the front three alongside Vinicius Junior and Benzema, leaving Rodrygo Goes and Isco as options from the bench.

Celta Vigo possible starting lineup:
Villar; Mallo, Araujo, Murillo, Martin; Mendez, Tapia, D Suarez, Nolito; Mina, Aspas

Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Courtois; Vazquez, Varane, Nacho, Mendy; Kroos, Casemiro, Modric; Vinicius, Benzema, Asensio


SM words green background

We say: Celta Vigo 1-2 Real Madrid

Celta are more than capable of beating Madrid, and Zidane will be wary of suffering a Champions League hangover on Saturday afternoon. As a result, the Frenchman is expected to resist the temptation to make wholesale changes, and the champions should have enough to pick up all three points in Vigo.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting a double chance bet on a home win or an away win in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Home/Away:data



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Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Real Madrid win with a probability of 65.75%. A draw had a probability of 20.3% and a win for Celta Vigo had a probability of 13.98%.

The most likely scoreline for a Real Madrid win was 0-2 with a probability of 12.1%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-1 (11.97%) and 1-2 (9.74%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (9.64%), while for a Celta Vigo win it was 1-0 (4.77%). The actual scoreline of 1-3 was predicted with a 6.6% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Real Madrid would win this match.


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Game History

How you voted: Celta Vigo vs Real Madrid

Celta Vigo
8.4%
Draw
8.4%
Real Madrid
83.2%
143
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Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane pictured on February 14, 2021
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Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Barcelona12110140112933
2Real Madrid1173121111024
3Atletico MadridAtletico126511871123
4Villarreal116322019121
5Osasuna126331716121
6Athletic Bilbao125431812619
7Real BetisBetis125431210219
8Mallorca12534109118
9Rayo Vallecano114431210216
10Celta Vigo125161820-216
11Real Sociedad124351010015
12GironaGirona124351517-215
13Sevilla124351217-515
14AlavesAlaves124171419-513
15Leganes122551216-411
16Getafe12174810-210
17Espanyol123181122-1110
18Las PalmasLas Palmas122371321-89
19Real ValladolidValladolid12228924-158
20Valencia11146817-97


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