Celta Vigo vs Athletic Club match preview and predictions for Sunday’s LaLiga match. Read on for the head-to-head, team news and predicted lineups as the Basque giants head to Galicia.
| Date | Sunday 14th March 2021 |
| Kick-Off | 14:00 (local time) |
| Stadium | Balaidos |
| Competition | LaLiga |
Celta Vigo vs Athletic Club Preview
Sunday’s action in LaLiga kicks off at Balaidos with a clash between two teams on the fringes of the race for European football. Both Celta Vigo and Athletic Club will know they need a strong end to the campaign to stand a chance although the visitors do have a potential alternative route into the Europa League given they are in the Copa del Rey Final.
Celta are currently sitting comfortably in 9th place and while that won’t be good enough for Europe, followers of the Galician club will be pretty content to just not be involved in the relegation scrap this term having been in it until the very wire in each of the last two seasons. They are only four points off Villarreal in 7th and a potential UEFA Conference League spot in the event Barca and not Athletic win the Copa.
Last time out, Celta were involved in one of the games of the season. They came from behind to win a 4-3 thriller at Huesca with Fren Beltran ultimately netting the winner. Again one of the most encouraging things for boss Chacho Coudet was the team showed they could score goals even without Iago Aspas netting, which is certainly a positive moving forward as they have been very dependent on the forward for a number of years now.
Athletic come into this game having lost 2-1 in midweek away to leaders Atletico Madrid despite Iker Muniain’s early goal. That was the first time Athletic had lost to somebody other than Barcelona in any competition since appointing Marcelino but again they were competitive with one of the top teams.
Inevitably there will be a bit of fatigue in their camp given the cup heroics of 2021 but Athletic will finally get a midweek off ahead of next week’s derby with Eibar and after that it’s the international break which will be a real chance to rest up given they have very few internationals. Marcelino will be hungry to at least get a result here to keep his side well in the hunt for European qualification through the league.
Head to Head
- Last 6 Competitive Meetings: 2 Celta Wins, 2 Athletic Wins, 2 Draws.
- Celta won 2-0 in Bilbao earlier this term.
- They’ve taken 7 points from the last 3 league meetings
- However Athletic have won on 4 of their last 6 trips to Balaidos.
Team News
Hugo Mallo is banned for Celta who can welcome back Renato Tapia from suspension. Fran Beltran should drop out despite his goal last time out.
Inigo Martinez is suspended but otherwise Athletic should be at full strength. Marcelino may look to freshen things up in a few positions after their midweek defeat and busy schedule.
Predicted Celta Starting Lineup:
Villar – Martin, Murillo, Araujo, Vazquez – Tapia – Nolito, Suarez, Mendez – Aspas, Mina (4-1-3-2)
Predicted Athletic Starting Lineup:
Simon – Berchiche, Nunez, Yeray, Capa – Muniain, Garcia, Vencedor, Berenguer – Garcia, Williams (4-4-2)
Celta Vigo vs Athletic Club Predictions
LaLiga Expert Predicts: Celta Vigo 2-1 Athletic (follow us on Tipstrr to view our betting tips)
Celta’s early cup exit has given them a chance to really focus on the league and they ought to be much the fresher team here. They look to be rediscovering that fine early form they showcased when Coudet took over initially and the Galicians may just have enough to edge this one and claim maximum points.
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