La Liga: Barcelona vs Celta Vigo Preview
Struggling Celta Head to Barcelona
Barcelona Unbeaten Through Five
Barcelona remained undefeated through five La Liga matches and got a massive 5-0 win over Real Betis their last time out. In the match, Joao Felix and Joao Cancelo scored their first goals for Barça. Meanwhile, Celta Vigo fell 1-0 to Mallorca at home last weekend and are currently hovering near the relegation zone. Celta heads to Barcelona on Saturday for a La Liga match following Barcelona’s 5-0 UCL victory over Antwerp on Tuesday. In our Barcelona vs Celta Vigo preview, we’ll take a look at the team news and current odds.
Barcelona vs Celta Vigo
Date & Time:
Location: Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, Barcelona, Spain
Head-to-Head:
Somewhat surprisingly, this has been a competitive fixture as of late. Last season, these sides split their meetings. Granted, Barcelona had clinched the La Liga title by the time of Celta’s 2-1 win back in June. Over the last five meetings on the La Liga schedule, each side has won twice and one match finished in a draw. The road team has won just two of the last 18 head-to-head matchups, in all competitions.
Barcelona Blowing Opponents Away
Barcelona’s Champions League opener on Tuesday could not have gone much better. The defending La Liga champions led 3-0 at halftime vs. Belgian champions Antwerp and were up 5-0 by the 66th minute. Joao Felix scored Barcelona’s first and last goals in the match and FCB easily could have had more. Felix, who is on loan from Atletico Madrid, has gotten off to a great start in Catalonia.
The Portuguese international has scored three goals in two starts and Barcelona has scored five goals in each of the matches he’s started in. Felix also scored Barcelona’s opener in last weekend’s dominant 5-0 win over Real Betis. Felix adds another dimension to Barcelona’s offense, which also boasts Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha. Our Barcelona vs Celta Vigo preview notes that Pedri and Ronald Araujo are out injured but Barça still have what it takes to blow their opponents away.
Currently, Lewandowski and Ferran Torres lead Barcelona in the La Liga stats, with three goals apiece. As things stand, Barcelona has the best goal difference in La Liga, at +9 through five matches. They’ve won all of their matches apart from a scoreless draw in their season opener and trail only Real Madrid in the standings.
Celta Unbeaten on Road
Strangely enough, Celta Vigo has lost all three of their home matches this season. They lost 1-0 to Mallorca last weekend at the Estadio de Balaidos but Celta are 1-1-0 away from home so far. Celta’s 1-1-3 record means that they’re currently in 16th place in the Spanish La Liga standings. They’ve scored just four goals in five matches and the main man Iago Aspas is still without a goal to his name this season.
Aspas was Celta’s leading scorer last season, with 12 goals. Meanwhile, Gabri Veiga wasn’t at all far behind, with 11 goals. However, the 21-year-old midfielder made a lucrative move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli before the transfer deadline. Celta will need to replace those goals somehow or else they could be in a relegation fight this season. They do have experienced manager Rafa Benitez at the helm, though.
Things haven’t been all bad for Celta Vigo this season. They managed to hold Real Sociedad to just one goal in San Sebastian and came away with a draw. Celta also only lost 1-0 to Real Madrid when they played earlier this season. The results haven’t followed but the Galician club has been competitive in nearly every match they’ve played.
Match Analysis & Odds
This hasn’t always been an easy fixture for Barcelona. They’ve won just five of the last eleven meetings between the two sides and each match between these teams last season was decided by just one goal. Our Barcelona vs Celta Vigo preview notes that Barça are -315 favorites for this match, though.
They’ve built quite a bit of momentum after 5-0 wins over Real Betis and Royal Antwerp and their line has already moved from -275 to -315. It’s hard to bet against both Joao Felix and Robert Lewandowski getting on the scoresheet, as the duo has looked excellent in their short time together. Barcelona have more of a cutting edge now, which is scary when combined with their excellent defense.
Barcelona -1.5 comes in at -105 odds here and four of their last five wins over Celta have come by a multi-goal margin. Celta have lost by two or more goals in just one of their last 11 La Liga games overall, though. In what’s not expected to be a complete blowout, Celta +1.5 displays -115 odds. They are also +780 moneyline underdogs and a draw sits at +445. With Barcelona’s stellar scoring form, over three goals are priced at -120 odds for Saturday’s match.
For La Liga betting odds, analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
