Espanyol vs Celta Vigo Predictions & Match Preview

Espanyol vs Celta Vigo predictions and match preview for Sunday’s LaLiga fixture. Read on for analysis, the head-to-head, team news and predicted lineups as two mid-table teams meet.

Espanyol vs Celta Vigo Preview

Espanyol and Celta Vigo face off in a game that doesn’t have a huge amount riding on it in truth. These sides are level on 36 points in 12th and 11th places respectively. 9 points shy of the last possible European place, but 10 clear of the drop-zone heading into this matchday, there may already be something of an end-of-season feel to this game.

Much may depend on Espanyol’s ability to get Raul De Tomas fit for it. He is their top scorer with 14 goals, 10 more than any of his teammates have managed and they are clearly a much more potent attacking team when he plays. If R.D.T. doesn’t recover in time, it’s likely to be Loren Moron up top but the Betis loanee has only managed 1 goal during a frustrating stint at the RCDE Stadium.

It could be an interesting summer for Espanyol and boss Vicente Moreno will already be looking ahead to it you’d imagine. Holding on to De Tomas will be key but they do have a solid spine emerging behind him with younger players such as Keidi Bare and Javi Puado establishing themselves in the lineup. Moreno may use the final weeks to give more playing time to some of his other emerging talents such as Nico Melamed who is available again here.

Celta have their own dependency issues when it comes to goals, but that has been the case for a number of years. Iago Aspas also has 14 in LaLiga this term, although he has had a bit more help with Santi Mina bagging 7. With just 1 point from their last 3 games, Celta’s European dreams have all but ended and they were left furious at some of the decisions in their 2-1 home defeat against Real Madrid last weekend when Los Blancos were awarded no fewer than 3 penalties.

Chacho Coudet will also be starting to look towards next season. There is some uncertainty for him too with Mina’s court case an unwelcome distraction and that’s perhaps why he has brought Thiago Galhardo in to partner Aspas in recent games. Overall though, this is a very settled team with a consistent system and approach and a few smart additions could make the difference next term in terms of seeing them push on towards the European battle.

Head to Head

• Last 6 Competitive Meetings: 1 Celta Win, 5 Draws.
• Celta won 3-1 when the sides met in Vigo earlier this term.
• The previous 5 meetings had all resulted in draws.
• Espanyol haven’t beaten Celta since a 2-1 win in September 2017.

Team News

Latest LaLiga Injuries & Suspensions

Possible Lineups

Espanyol vs Celta Vigo Predictions

Score Prediction: Espanyol 1-1 Celta Vigo

This game is tough to call with not much to separate the teams. Celta have only picked up 2 points from their last 5 away in LaLiga but with De Tomas potentially missing again for Espanyol, a draw is perhaps more likely here than a home win.

PLEASE NOTE – Our LaLiga predictions are not betting tips. No profits are guaranteed if you’re using them to bet on football. If you are gambling, do so responsibly and never stake more than you can afford to lose. BeGambleAware.