Preview: Celta Vigo vs Elche - prediction, team news, lineups

Elche will be bidding to make it four straight wins in Spain's top flight when they continue their campaign away to Celta Vigo on Sunday afternoon.

The visitors have moved up into 14th spot in the La Liga table due to their excellent form, while Celta are seventh, level on points with sixth-placed Getafe in the battle for Europe.

Match preview

Celta are currently involved in a battle for sixth in Spain's top flight, as the Sky Blues look to secure more European football for the 2026-27 campaign.

Claudio Giraldez's side managed to reach the quarter-finals of this season's Europa League, losing to German team Freiburg in the final eight, and they will now be eyeing at least a position in the Conference League for next season.

Celta have a record of 11 wins, 11 draws and 11 defeats from their 33 league matches this season, which has left them seventh in the table on 44 points, level with sixth-placed Getafe and six from fifth-placed Real Betis with five games left to play.

The Sky Blues have actually lost each of their last five games in all competitions and six of their last seven, including their last three in the league to Real Oviedo, Barcelona and Villarreal.

Celta's poorest run of form this season has come at the worst possible time, and they will now take on an Elche side that have been flying in recent weeks.

Incredibly, Elche will enter this game off the back of three straight wins in the league against Valencia, Atletico Madrid and Oviedo, with those nine points crucial in their relegation fight.

Eder Sarabia's side have actually been victorious in four of their last five in the league, which has helped them move into 14th spot in the table, four points ahead of 18th-placed Sevilla, and it is shaping up to be a fascinating end to the season at the bottom of the division.

Elche have the second-worst away form in the league this season, only winning one of their 16 La Liga fixtures on the road in 2025-26.

Celta, though, actually have the worst home record in the entire division, claiming just 17 points from 16 matches, with their success this season built on their away form, which is the third-best in the league.

Earlier this season, Elche recorded a 2-1 victory over Celta on home soil, but three of the last four meetings between the two sides have been won by the Sky Blues.

Celta Vigo La Liga form:

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Celta Vigo form (all competitions):

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Elche La Liga form:

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Team News

Celta will be without the services of three players through injury on Sunday, with Miguel Roman, Carl Starfelt and Matias Vecino ruled out of the contest.

Marcos Alonso, meanwhile, picked up a milestone yellow card in Celta's clash with Villarreal last time out, so the experienced defender is out of this match through suspension.

Borja Iglesias has scored 16 times in all competitions this season, and a strong end to the campaign could see the Celta striker make the Spain squad for the 2026 World Cup.

As for Elche, Adam El Mokhtari and Yago Santiago will miss the game through injury, while German Valera is suspended, having been sent off in the team's win over Oviedo last time out.

The visitors could be unchanged from their last game against the division's basement side, with Andre Silva and Alvaro Rodriguez likely to continue as the front two.

On-loan Barcelona defender Hector Fort made his return from a long-term shoulder injury in the team's last match, and the 19-year-old is in line for another start here.

Celta Vigo possible starting lineup:

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

Elche possible starting lineup:

Dituro; Bigas, Affengruber, Sangare; Fort, Aguado, Febas, Villar, Pedrosa; Rodriguez, Silva

We say: Celta Vigo 1-1 Elche

Celta have been disappointing at home this season, so we are struggling to back them to win this match, especially considering the form of both sides. That said, we are expecting Celta to be good enough for a point this weekend.

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