Preview: Atletico Madrid vs Celta Vigo - prediction, team news, lineups

Fresh from their elimination in the semi-finals of the Champions League, Atletico Madrid will continue their La Liga campaign at home to Celta Vigo on Saturday evening.

Atletico are currently fourth in the La Liga table, 10 points above fifth-placed Real Betis, while Celta are sixth, three points above seventh-placed Getafe in the battle for Europe.

Match preview

Atletico came up just short against Arsenal in the semi-finals of the Champions League, going down 2-1 on aggregate, and their main focus will now be on ensuring that they are once again operating in Europe's leading cup competition during the 2026-27 campaign.

Diego Simeone's side are currently fourth in the table, 10 points ahead of fifth-placed Real Betis, so they would secure a top-four spot with a win in this fixture.

The Red and Whites beat Valencia 2-0 at Mestalla in their last league match at the start of May, while their last home La Liga fixture ended in a 3-2 success over Athletic Bilbao.

The disappointment of their semi-final exit in the Champions League will take a while to get over, but they will be bidding to end their season with four wins over Celta, Osasuna, Girona and Villarreal.

Atletico have picked up 43 points from their 17 home league matches this season, while Celta have the third-best away record in the division, claiming 27 points from 17 games.

Celta will enter this match off the back of a 3-1 win over Elche, which proved to be their first success in Spain's top flight since the start of April.

The Sky Blues have a record of 12 wins, 11 draws and 11 defeats from their 34 league matches this season, with 47 points leaving them in sixth spot in the division.

Claudio Giraldez's side are therefore currently in a Conference League position, and they are six points behind fifth-placed Real Betis, so qualifying for the Europa League once again will be difficult.

Celta have only managed to win 27 of their previous 132 matches against Atletico in all competitions, but the last two games between the two sides have finished level, including a 1-1 in Vigo last October.

The two teams also played out a 1-1 draw at the home of Atletico last season, but Celta have not overcome the Red and Whites since September 2018, while their last league away success over the capital team was back in June 2007.

Atletico Madrid La Liga form:

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Atletico Madrid form (all competitions):

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Celta Vigo La Liga form:

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Celta Vigo form (all competitions):

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Team News

Atletico will again be without the services of Pablo Barrios and Nico Gonzalez on Saturday through injury, but the hosts are otherwise in strong shape.

Julian Alvarez only lasted 66 minutes of the semi-final second leg against Arsenal, and it is unlikely that the Argentina international, who has had some fitness problems of late, will feature from the start here.

Alex Baena and Alexander Sorloth could both be handed spots in the final third of the field, while Johnny Cardoso, Rodrigo Mendoza, Nahuel Molina and Clement Lenglet may also feature in the first XI.

As for Celta, Miguel Roman and Carl Starfelt will miss the match due to injury problems, while Matias Vecino will require a late fitness test ahead of the match.

The visitors will definitely be without the services of Javi Rueda, though, with the wing-back picking up a milestone yellow card in the win over Elche last time out.

Oscar Mingueza is expected to be introduced into the side as Rueda's replacement, while Borja Iglesias, who has scored 13 league goals this season, should also return to the first XI.

Atletico Madrid possible starting lineup:

Oblak; Molina, Le Normand, Lenglet, Diaz; Mendoza, Cardoso; Simeone, Baena, Lookman; Sorloth

Celta Vigo possible starting lineup:

Radu; Nunez, Lago, Rodriguez; Carreira, Lopez, Moriba, Mingueza; Alvarez, Iglesias, Jutgla

We say: Atletico Madrid 2-1 Celta Vigo

Celta will be bidding to beat Atletico away from home in the league for the first time in almost 20 years on Saturday, but are expecting Simeone's team to bounce back from their Champions League disappointment to claim all three points.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.