Celta Vigo vs Barca: Following a divisive yet euphoric victory over Real Betis over the weekend, the Garnet and Blue return to action after just two days available for rest. Today, a tricky game awaits since we are meeting the Sky Blues of Vigo in Camp Nou.
Match Details:
Date: Tuesday, May 10th, 2022
Time: 9:30 pm CET/WAT (Barcelona & Nigeria), 8:30 pm GMT (UK), 3:30 pm ET, 12:30 pm PT (USA), 01:00 am IST (India, Wednesday), 12:30 am PST (Pak, Wednesday)
Competition: La Liga
Match Day: 36
Venue: Camp Nou
Match Referee: Miguel Arias
How to watch on Tv: ESPN + [Online] (USA), TSN 4 (Canada), LaLigaTV (UK), SuperSport (Nigeria), MTV (India), Geo Super (Pakistan), Movistar Liga de Campeones (Spain)
How to watch online: ESPN + (USA), (USA), LaLigaTV (UK)
Overview:
Celta Vigo will return to Camp Nou this year with some pleasing memories of their last visit to the home of Blaugrnas. The last time, these two sides met at Camp Nou, the Catalans suffered a 2-1 defeat by Celta Vigo on 16 May 2021. This clash represents not only Messi’s last game for the club but also his last goal for Barcelona.
Fran Beltran (Celta player) spoke about this fixture. He said “I told my family that we beat Leo Messi in his last match, and at the Camp Nou. We want to repeat the victory this season. We have the same desire, as always.”
At first sight, this Celta Vigo seems to be a mediocre team, both on defending and attacking side of the game. But what makes them stand out is the immense pressing they apply in order to steal the ball from the opposition and build their own attacking attempts. Thus, they place under pressure the opposition the most in the league, moreover, they do it on a fairly high tempo, having the second-best PPDA – only behind us ourselves.
Unlike many other ‘small teams’, Los Celestes approach the game from a proactive perspective, opting for the idea of keeping the ball (56% average possession) and trying to build their attacks in a more reasonable, moderate, and creative way rather than heedlessly run towards the opposition goal in order to escape the reorganization of the defense and exploit the chances offered by a transition following a ball recovery – and then back to the well-tried low-block –, which makes them curiosity in the boring atmosphere of Spanish lower-table.
But, the problems start to appear when the apprentices of Eduardo Coudet get higher and higher up the pitch, as they struggle to break the defensive structure of their above-mentioned rivals, meaning they are fairly unable to turn their superiority into goals. In doing so, their main weapon is the one and only Iago Aspas, the living legend of the Vigo-based outfit. This season, the Spaniard has accumulated the most goals, precisely 17, behind the god-mode Benzema, and he will be ready to capitalize on our smallest lurch today.
The memories from our last encounter left us with a bitter taste, as we squandered a 3-goal lead in the dying seconds of the game, so we shouldn’t have problems with the motivation of the players. Despite the sensible absences like Busquets, Pedri, and Dest, all the 3 points should be ours at the end of the day.
Sergio Busquets is suspended for this match due to the accumulation of 5 yellow cards and Pedri and Nico are not available because of the injuries.
This situation has opened up the gates for Riqui Puig, who is expected to start in this match alongside Gavi and Frenkie de Jong. Puig has barely featured for Catalans since Xavi’s arrival and only played 25 minutes in the last 23 appearances.
Ter Stagen has been training with the squad normally after being left out of the squad against Real Betis due to his illness. He is expected to start against Real Betis as things stand.
Key Stats:
Fc Barcelona:
Last 5 Games (All competitions): L-W-L-W-W
- Real Betis 1-2 Fc Barcelona | La Liga
- RCD Mallorca 1-2 Fc Barcelona | La Liga
- Fc Barcelona 0-1 Rayo Vallecano | La Liga
- Real Sociedad 0-1 Fc Barcelona | La Liga
- Fc Barcelona 0-1 Cadiz | La Liga
Current Standing: 2nd in La Liga
Celta Vigo:
Last 5 Games (All competitions): L-W-L-D-W
- Alaves 0-4 Celta Vigo | La Liga
- Garanada 0-0 Celta Vigo | La Liga
- Celta Vigo 2-0 Getafe | La Liga
- Athletic Club 0-2 Celta Vigo | La Liga
- Celta Vigo 0-1 Espanyol | La Liga
Current Standing: 11th in La Liga
Potential Line up:
Fc Barcelona:
Formation: 4-3-3
Goal Keeper: Ter Stagen
Defenders: Dani, Araujo, Eric, Alba
Midfielders: Frenkie, Gavi, Puig
Forwards: Dembele, Aubameyang, Ferran
