Celta Vigo Vs Barcelona: Heavy Test For Blaugrana At Baladios

JAKARTA - Barcelona will try to win in a row in La Liga when they travel to Celta Vigo's headquarters, Estadio Baladios on Sunday 9 November evening local time. This match is an important test for Hansi Flick's team, who currently sit in second place in the standings with a difference of five points from leaders Real Madrid.

Meanwhile, Celta Vigo appeared solid this season and took 12th place with 13 points from 11 matches which made it difficult for them to lose despite playing draws too often.

Of the 11 matches that have been played, Celta Vigo has only lost twice, only Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid have recorded fewer defeats. However, seven draws made the team nicknamed Sky Blues stuck in the middle board.

Claudio Giraldez's squad is in an impressive performance, with five consecutive wins in all competitions and unbeaten in the last eight matches. The series of positive results included two La Liga wins, three Europa League league league wins, and a 2-0 win over Puerto de Vega in the Copa del Rey.

With this capital, Celta will appear confident, especially against the Barcelona team who are still having problems on the defense.

Barcelona are known to be sharp on the front lines, especially after Raphinha approached full fitness, but on the other hand, their defense is not yet stable. Of La Liga's 11 games, the Blaugrana have conceded 13 goals, and the last time they drew 3-3 against Club Brugge in the Champions League, a result highlighting their backline weaknesses.

Flick's side have collected eight wins, one draw, and two league defeats, collecting 25 points so far. If Real Madrid win over Rayo Vallecano, the distance could widen to eight points, making this match crucial for Barcelona to keep the hope of winning.

Despite losing his recent consistency (two defeats to the last four matches in La Liga), a 3-1 win over Elche last week gave him a little confidence. In the last four meetings against Celta, Barcelona won three times, including a dramatic 4-3 win last April. However, the last match in Vigo ended in a 2-2 draw, and Celta had beaten Barcelona 2-1 at home in the 2022 season 23.

Celta Vigo lost Williot Swiedberg and Javi Rueda due to injury, while Hugo Alvarez and Ionut Andrei Radu were also ruled out. With Radu's absence due to a hand injury, the main goalkeeper's position is likely to be filled again by Ivan Villar, who appeared in the last two matches of Celta.

Although Pablo Duran scored twice against Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League, he is expected to sit on the bench so that Borja Iglesias can return to the main spearhead.

From the Barcelona camp, the list of injuries is still long: Gavi (lutut), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (men's), Raphinha and Pedri (hamstring) cannot be played. Meanwhile, Joan Garcia and Andreas Christensen have begun to recover and have the opportunity to join the squad.

Eric Garcia is doubtful after suffering a nose injury against Brugge, so Pau Cubarsi is likely to return to central defender position. On the front lines, Robert Lewandowski and Dani Olmo are already recovering but are likely to start from the bench.

Celta is in the best form and can be a serious threat to Barcelona. However, with the absolute need to win and the sharp quality of attack, the Blaugrana is predicted to win a narrow victory in this difficult match with Lamine Yamal potentially being a differentiator.

Celta Vigo (3-4-3): Vaillar; Rodriguez, Starfelt, Alonso; Mingueza, Beltran, Moriba, Carreira; Jutgla, Iglesias, Zaragoza

Barcelona (4-2-3-1):Szczesny; Kounde, Araujo, Cubarsi, Balde; Casado, De Jong; Yamal, Fermin, Rashford; Torres

Celta Vigo 23 Barcelona