Can the Galicians exploit the Catalans’ weakness?
The reigning Spanish champions will be under some pressure when they visit Galicia on Sunday. After defeats to Sevilla and Real Madrid, Hansi Flick’s team are already five points behind their eternal rivals from the capital in second place in the table, and in the Champions League during the week, the Catalans dropped valuable points in the battle for the top eight with a 3-3 draw in Bruges.
In their last game before the next international break, the Blaugrana will be looking to minimize the recent damage and prevent the gap to the White Ballet from growing. However, they are not expecting an easy task in Galicia. After a mixed start to the season, the Europa League participants have stabilized with two wins in a row and are now in twelfth place in the table.
To make matters worse, the Catalans have to play away from home. Flick’s team has struggled away from home recently. Their last win in any competition away from home was six weeks ago. Accordingly, it might be worth betting on an upset in Celta Vigo vs. Barcelona.
There are many reasons why the reigning double winners are currently struggling. On the one hand, some noise surrounding superstar Lamine Yamal is said to be affecting the atmosphere in the dressing room, and on the other hand, the Catalans have rarely found the right balance between offense and defense in recent weeks.
It is by no means a new discovery that Barca plays exhilarating attacking soccer. However, when all the offensive efforts are not backed up by adequate defense, things can quickly become difficult. This explains why Sevilla and Bruges – neither of which are top teams – scored four and three goals respectively against the Catalans. So if such mid-table teams are already managing to cause Hansi Flick’s team some headaches, the prediction for Celta Vigo vs. Barcelona is that the hosts could do the same and score a few goals.
While the Blaugrana have been on a downward trend in recent weeks, the situation is quite different for the Galicians. After a curious start to the season (seven of nine games ended 1-1), they have recently turned things around and moved into mid-table with victories over Osasuna and Levante.
After eleven rounds, Claudio Giraldez’s team now has 13 points and can claim to be one of the hardest teams to beat in La Liga. Only the two capital giants, Real and Atletico, have lost fewer games than the Sky Blues in the current season. A bet on the hosts winning a point against Barcelona therefore looks promising at good odds.
Celta Vigo – Barcelona Head-to-head record
A head-to-head comparison also shows that the hosts could well be in with a chance in this match. The Galicians have often shown recently, especially in home games, that they can be a difficult opponent for the Catalans.
The Sky Blues have only lost to Barca in two of their last eleven home games. Hardly any other club in La Liga can boast such a positive record.
Celta Vigo – Barcelona Tip
A surprise is in the offing when Celta Vigo host the mighty FC Barcelona on Sunday.
The Galicians are generally a difficult place for the Catalans to play, and unlike Hansi Flick’s team, the twelfth-placed side can look back on an upward trend in form.
In addition to betting on the home team to win a point, it could be worth betting on a high-scoring game at attractive odds in Celta Vigo vs. Barcelona. The Catalans’ defense has not looked particularly solid recently, so it is likely that Claudio Giraldez’s team will score as well as the visitors.
