Last weekend’s result in La Liga gave a hope for Real Madrid to retain their domestic title this season. With only six points margin and still eleven games remaining, everything is still possible. This weekend, Los Blancos are travelling to estadio Balaidos to meet Celta Vigo, which are sitting on the midtable. It may look easy but can be tricky as well.
Both teams’ latest news
Celta were able to hold Athletic Bilbao in a goalless draw in the last outing. Eduardo Coudet’s men seem to be lacking of clinical finish upfront and unable to optimise their decent chances.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, carried on winning after the return of Karim Benzema. They crushed Atalanta 3-1 in the Champions League midweek fixture. Benzema, Sergio Ramos and Marco Asencio scored their winning goals while La Dea only replied for a lifeline by Luis Muriel before the third goal came.
Possible tactic
Eduardo Coudet has always been in favour of 4-1-3-2 formation since his arrival in Vigo. He would deploy Iago Aspas and the former Valencia man Santi Mina as the frontmen. They gain support from Nolito, Brais Mendez and Denis Suarez behind them while Renato Tapia is the stopper in front of the back four.
Meanwhile, Zinedine Zidane could be opting for 3-5-2 again just like in the midweek fixture. Karim Benzema and Vinicius Junior will be featuring as the front men. The lack of wing back since Alvaro Odriozola and Dani Carvajal are still ruled out plus the injury of Eden Hazard seems to push Zizou to deploy such formation.
Players to watch
Celta’s el capitano, Iago Aspas is the club’s top performer this season. He has notched up nine goals and eight assists so far. Some other notable figures to watch are Brais Mendez who has netted five goals, Santi Mina scoring six goals and making one assist.
Karim Benzema remains the main scorer of Los Merengues. The 33-year old Frenchman has netted 15 goals and provided five assists in La Liga. Some other key names to watch are Toni Kroos the top assist provider with 6 assists, Luka Modric and the right back Lucas Vasquez.
Celta Vigo vs Real Madrid Prediction
Celta is welcoming Sergio Ramos and Co in a bad time as they are currently in a positive trend with nine games unbeaten run consecutively, seven of which ended in a victory. Iago Aspas and Co will have to strive to even snatch one point here considering Madrid’s explosive attack and defensive stance solidity with the return of Benzema and Sergio Ramos. Real Madrid should seal a narrow win here.
Betting Odds
Neither side seems to be the clear favorite here according to punters. Zidane’s men are priced to win at 7/8 whereas Celta is backed to win at 7/2. The odds for a draw result are at the value of 56/19.
