Celta Vigo vs Barcelona Prediction & Betting Tips - LaLiga

Prediction published on 17/02/2024, 03:54  by Kennedy Kechula in LaLiga Predictions

Celta Vigo’s quest for survival and Barcelona’s top four chase will take center stage when they face off in La Liga on Saturday. Hosts Celta Vigo go into this game three points above the relegation zone while Barcelona are third in the standings. A 3-2 loss to Granada in the last game complicated Celta Vigo’s push for survival. Having garnered just 20 points from 24 matches, they could drop into the red zone if they lose here. Goals from Jorgen-Strand Larsen and Tadeo Allende almost completed an impressive Celta Vigo comeback against Getafe. However, Jaime Mata sealed his brace with an 89th minute goal to win it for Getafe. That strike condemned Celta Vigo to their 12th league loss of the season. Only two teams have lost more league matches this season, and they happen to be in the relegation region. Celta Vigo will know just how tough the task ahead is, having lost three of their last four matches against Barcelona. That includes a crashing 3-2 defeat in September, when they threw a 2-0 lead, conceding three in the final nine minutes. Robert Lewandowski, who scored twice in that comeback win, is back in form and that should Worry Celta Vigo. The Pole has three goals in Barcelona’s last five matches.

Barcelona aren’t coming into this on a great run, and their title defence is in tatters. At 51 points, they are 10 behind league leaders Real Madrid and could well be playing just for a top four finish. Barcelona are coming from a frustrating 3-3 draw with Granada in their last game. The Catalans needed an 80th minute Lamine Yamal goal to steal a point at home to Granada when a fourth league loss was staring. They have lost their defensive mettle that guided them to the league title last season. While Barca have been scoring well, the imbalance from a porous defence has been telling. They have just two clean sheets in their last 10 matches across all competitions. In the last five matches alone, Barcelona have conceded 13 goals. An outstanding stat in their away matches as well has been the high-scoring nature of their matches. Each of Barcelona’s last seven away matches has returned over 2.5 goals and they have no clean sheet in 11 straight away games.