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

Knowing that a win would rubber-stamp their place in European football next season, Celta de Vigo head into the final round of La Liga with genuine purpose when Sevilla visit the Municipal de Balaidos on Saturday evening.

Claudio Giraldez’s side need nothing more than three points to guarantee a Europa League spot for next term, while the visitors arrive with safety already secured and little left to play for beyond pride.

Match preview

Celta have put together a productive campaign by their recent standards, sitting sixth in La Liga with 51 points from 13 wins, 12 draws and 12 defeats, and a goals tally of 52 scored and 48 conceded.

A Europa League berth looks almost certain to be theirs, with seventh-placed Getafe sitting three points behind on 48 and holding a goal difference of -7 compared to Celta’s positive return of +4, meaning even a Getafe win on the final day is unlikely to overhaul them.

At home, however, Celta have been surprisingly inconsistent, posting the second-worst home record in the top half of the table with five wins, five draws and eight defeats at the Municipal de Balaidos.

Their most recent La Liga outing ended in a 1-1 draw away at Athletic Bilbao, despite taking the lead as early as the third minute through Williot Swedberg, and across their last five matches in all competitions they have recorded two wins, one draw and two defeats.

Sevilla have had a more turbulent ride through the campaign and sit 13th with 43 points from 12 wins, seven draws and 18 defeats.

Luis Garcia’s side have won three of their last five matches, including three consecutive victories before their most recent outing, a 1-0 home defeat to Real Madrid in which Vinicius Junior struck the only goal for the visitors.

Those wins proved crucial in the context of the season, having been enough to drag Sevilla clear of the relegation battle they found themselves embroiled in, and with safety now secured, the pressure on Garcia’s side heading into Saturday is considerably lighter than it has been for much of half the season.

Garcia’s squad have shown a capacity to string results together, but defensive fragility has undermined them throughout the season - 59 goals conceded represents the joint-second highest total in the division.

On the road, Sevilla have five wins, three draws and 10 defeats this season, a record of 18 away points - and defending against Celta’s pace and directness on the flanks will test them once again on Saturday.

The most recent head-to-head between the two clubs ended in a 1-0 away win for Celta, and across the last five meetings, Os Celestes hold the upper hand with three wins to Sevilla’s one and one draw.

Celta Vigo La Liga form:

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Sevilla La Liga form:

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Team News

Carl Starfelt remains absent for Celta with the back injury that has kept him sidelined in recent weeks, while Miguel Roman remains ruled out.

Swedberg is expected to retain his place in the starting lineup, having shown his threat in front of goal against Athletic Bilbao, with Giraldez likely to name a full-strength side given what is at stake.

For Sevilla, Manu Bueno is unavailable with a knee injury, while Marcao is also sidelined with a muscle complaint.

Juanlu Sanchez will serve a one-match ban having accumulated five yellow cards in La Liga, though the winger has been largely a rotational option in recent weeks, and his absence is not expected to significantly affect the starting XI.

Neal Maupay and Akor Adams are set to lead Sevilla’s attacking threat, with Garcia aiming for a win on the road.

Celta Vigo possible starting lineup:

Radu; Rodriguez, Lago, Alonso; Rueda, Lopez, Moriba, Carreira; Jutgla, Iglesias, Swedberg

Sevilla possible starting lineup:

Vlachodimos; Suazo, Salas, Castrin, Carmona; Oso, Gudelj, Sow, Vargas; Maupay, Adams

We say: Celta Vigo 2-1 Sevilla

Celta’s superior motivation and a home crowd pushing them towards European football should be the decisive factor on Saturday, and Sevilla’s defensive record - 59 goals conceded across the season suggests there will be space for Celta's attack to exploit.

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

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