Celta Vigo will be looking to record their sixth successive La Liga victory when they host Europa League hopefuls Real Betis on Saturday evening.
The visitors are unbeaten in their last five meetings with Los Celestes, including a 2-1 victory against them on home soil in January.
Match preview
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After beating Europa League finalists Villarreal 4-2 away from home a fortnight ago, Celta secured another away victory at Camp Nou, beating Spanish giants Barcelona 2-1 last weekend.
Lionel Messi's 28th-minute header broke the deadlock for the hosts before Santi Mina equalised seven minutes before half time with Celta's first real attack of the game.
Both sides pushed to score a winner in the second half, but the dismissal of Barca defender Clement Lenglet in the 83rd minute proved costly as Mina scored his second of the match just six minutes later to snatch all three points against the Catalan outfit, ending their hopes of clinching the La Liga title.
Eduardo Coudet's side have finished the campaign strongly, winning each of their last five league games and scoring 11 goals in the process – equalling their best consecutive winning streak in their top-flight history. However, results elsewhere means that their late push for European qualification has come to an end.
Since the arrival of Coudet in November 2020, Vigo have earned 46 points in 28 La Liga matches, the same as Saturday's opponents Real Betis; this total has only been surpassed by the current top four in the division.
Celta have only won one of their last 11 league meetings with Betis, a 3-2 victory in Balaidos in January 2018. Securing all three points this weekend would be their 15th win of the campaign moving them onto 56 points, their highest total in five years.
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Real Betis kept their hopes of qualifying for the Europa League alive when they narrowly beat Huesca 1-0 last weekend.
A penalty converted by Borja Iglesias just before the hour mark was enough for the hosts to seal all three points and stay in sixth place, above Villarreal based on their head-to-head record, despite the Yellow Submarine having an +18 better goal difference.
Manuel Pellegrini's side have made themselves difficult to beat in recent months and have now extended their unbeaten run to 10 La Liga matches, their longest unbeaten streak within a single top-flight campaign since November 2004 under former boss Lorenzo Serra Ferrer.
However, seven of these 10 games have been drawn, including each of their last four away from home. Betis had only drawn three of their 27 league matches prior to this.
Los Verdiblancos have earned 58 points in 37 La Liga games this season and a win on Saturday, will see them accumulate their second-highest points tally in a 38-game top-flight campaign, behind the tally they managed in 2004-05 (62).
A win would also guarantee a place in next season's Europa League and will see them do the double over Celta Vigo for the first time since 2012-13.
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Team News
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Celta will be missing several first-team players through injury this weekend, with Renato Tapia, Jeison Murillo, Jose Fontan, Facundo Ferreyra, Ruben Blanco, Emre Mor and Sergio Alvarez all unavailable for selection.
Hugo Mallo is doubtful with a minor adductor problem so Kevin Vazquez is expected to start at right-back, while centre-back Carlos Dominguez is set to play alongside Nestor Araujo as Joseph Aidoo is also doubtful with an ankle injury.
Coudet is not expected to make too many changes to his starting lineup, with the likes of Nolito, Denis Suarez and Brais Mendez, all set to feature in advanced midfield roles.
Striker Iago Aspas – who has 12 assists this season, more than any other player in La Liga – is set to start in attack alongside Mina, who has 12 league goals this term, his best scoring record in a single campaign.
As for Real Betis, centre-back Aissa Mandi should be fully fit despite not training in the last few days, however Marc Bartra is expected to continue at centre-back alongside Victor Ruiz.
Midfielder Victor Camarasa and goalkeeper Dani Martin remain out with knee problems, while Paul Akouokou is doubtful with the same injury.
Experienced midfielder Andres Guardado is expected to return to the starting lineup, which will likely see either Joaquin or Rodri drop to the bench and allow Sergio Canales to play further forward.
Left-back Alex Moreno could return to the first XI at the expense of Juan Miranda, while Iglesias is expected to lead the line in attack.
Celta Vigo possible starting lineup:
Villar; Vazquez, Dominguez, Araujo, Martin; Beltran; Mendez, Suarez, Nolito; Mina, Aspas
Real Betis possible starting lineup:
Bravo; Emerson, Bartra, Ruiz, Moreno; Rodriguez, Guardado; Joaquin, Fekir, Canales; Iglesias
We say: Celta Vigo 1-1 Real Betis
Both Celta and Real Betis head into the final game of the season in good form, with more riding on the match for the visitors, who know that a win will guarantee European football for next season. However, with little to separate the two teams, a score draw could be on the cards at Estadio de Balaidos.
Top tip
Oliver Thomas
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Real Betis win with a probability of 41.51%. A win for Celta Vigo had a probability of 32.7% and a draw had a probability of 25.8%.
The most likely scoreline for a Real Betis win was 0-1 with a probability of 9.83%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.79%) and 0-2 (7.06%). The likeliest Celta Vigo win was 1-0 (8.52%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.24%). The actual scoreline of 2-3 was predicted with a 2.6% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Real Betis would win this match.
