Alaves vs Celta Vigo match preview and predictions for Sunday’s LaLiga match. Read on for the head-to-head, team news and predicted lineups as the hosts target a much needed victory.
| Date | Sunday 4th April 2021 |
| Kick-Off | 14:00 (local time) |
| Stadium | Mendizorrotza |
| Competition | LaLiga |
Alaves vs Celta Vigo Preview
Sunday’s action in LaLiga commences in Vitoria where struggling Alaves are really in need of the points as they take on Celta Vigo. The visitors look to be heading towards a safe mid-table finish but European dreams now look distant ones with a huge amount of ground to make up on the sides in the final European places.
Alaves fans will be hoping that the international break has given Abelardo the chance to gather his troops and put some ideas into practice on the training ground. It can’t be easy arriving in the middle of such a congested season to do that but patience is already starting to wear a bit thin with the returning boss struggling to get anything going in his second spell at the club.
Since Abelardo’s appointment in early January, Alaves have played 10 league games, but have only won one and have only collected five points. A repeat over the final 10 games of the season will certainly see them relegated to the Segunda Division and they are going to have start winning these kinds of matches with home form likely to be key in Alaves’ push for survival.
Celta Vigo are no pushovers these days though. While they were beaten 3-1 at home by Real Madrid last time out, they’ve only lost one of their previous eight matches. A few too many draws have though hampered their push for European qualification and it feels as though it may end up being a relatively uneventful end to the season for the Galician club.
Chacho Coudet will be keen to ensure that complacency doesn’t set in and it’s going to be quite interesting to see if Celta can do any business this summer to further bolster this squad which does have the potential to kick on and be a top half team next term. In the final third they are not short on quality but they perhaps will need some defensive alterations to really move to the next level.
Head to Head
- Last 6 Competitive Meetings: 2 Celta Wins, 3 Alaves Wins, 1 Draw.
- Alaves have won 4 of the last 5 meetings in Vitoria.
- However they suffered 2-0 and 6-0 defeats in Vigo last year.
- Celta’s last victory here was a 2-1 win in the Segunda Division in 2009.
Team News
Rodrigo Ely is expected to be Alaves’ only injury absentee. Manu Garcia and Tomas Pina return from suspensions.
Nestor Araujo is Celta’s most notable absentee meaning Joseph Aidoo should line up alongside Jeison Murillo in central defence.
Predicted Alaves Starting Lineup:
Pacheco – Duarte, Lejeune, Laguardia, Navarro – Rioja, Pina, Garcia, Pellistri – Joselu, Mendez (4-4-2)
Predicted Celta Vigo Starting Lineup:
Villar – Martin, Murillo, Aidoo, Mallo – Tapia – Nolito, Suarez, Mendez – Mina, Aspas (4-1-3-2)
Alaves vs Celta Vigo Predictions
LaLiga Expert Predicts: Alaves 1-1 Celta Vigo (follow us on Tipstrr to view our betting tips)
You have to fear for Alaves at this stage as they’ve not really shown many signs of life under Abelardo. It’s still too early in the season for Celta to really take their foot off the gas and they could be difficult opponents here but having only won two away games all season, it’s hard to feel confident that their superior quality will be decisive and a draw looks the most likely outcome.
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