Celta Vigo will be aiming to stretch their unbeaten run in La Liga to six matches when they head to Real Valladolid on Sunday afternoon.
The visitors have risen into ninth spot in the La Liga table courtesy of their recent form, now sitting five points off sixth-placed Real Betis, while Real Valladolid are rock bottom of the division, some 11 points from safety.
Match preview
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Real Valladolid's difficulties continued last weekend when they suffered a 2-1 defeat to fellow strugglers Valencia, and it is now seven losses in their last eight league fixtures, which has left them rooted to the bottom of the division.
The White and Violets were promoted back to La Liga for the current season due to their second-placed finish in the 2023-24 Segunda Division, but they are seemingly set to drop back down to the second tier.
A record of four wins, four draws and 19 defeats from 27 matches has brought Real Valladolid 16 points, which has left them 11 points behind 17th-placed Leganes, and it is going to take some effort for them to secure survival.
Alvaro Rubio's side are the lowest goalscorers in La Liga this season, only finding the back of the net on 18 occasions, while they also have the worst defensive record, conceding 62, so it is not difficult to understand why it has been a tough campaign.
Real Valladolid have also lost their last two league games against Celta, but they did record a 4-1 victory over the Vigo outfit when the two teams locked horns in the corresponding game during the 2022-23 campaign.
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Celta have won three and drawn two of their last five La Liga matches, including a 2-1 success over Leganes last time out, which moved them into ninth spot in the table, just five points from sixth-placed Real Betis.
The Sky Blues have only claimed a top-half finish once in the last eight seasons, but their attacking qualities have left them in the top 10 at this stage, having found the back of the net on 40 occasions, which is just four fewer than Atletico Madrid.
Celta's home form this season has been excellent, picking up 29 points from 14 matches, with only Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid performing better in front of their own supporters during the 2024-25 campaign.
Claudio Giraldez's side have found it difficult on their travels, though, winning just one of their 13 league games away from their own stadium, so Real Valladolid will have a degree of confidence heading into this match.
Team News
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Real Valladolid will welcome Mario Martin back into their squad for this match, but Joseph Aidoo, who is on loan at the club from Celta, is set to miss out due to a muscular issue alongside fellow defender David Torres.
Andre Ferreira is also unavailable due to a muscular problem of his own, while Juanmi Latasa is ruled out due to the yellow card that he picked up after scoring against Valencia last time out.
Latasa'a absence is expected to open the door for Mamadou Sylla to come into the attack, while there is set to be a spot in the middle of the defence for Cenk Ozkacar.
As for Celta, Hugo Alvarez and Williot Swedberg will be absent for the contest due to injury problems.
Head coach Giraldez could name the same XI that took to the field for the first whistle against Leganes last time out, including a start in a wide position for Alfon Gonzalez, while Iago Aspas is also set to be in the side.
Fran Beltran and Ilaix Moriba are options to come into the middle of midfield, but Damian Rodriguez and Hugo Sotelo may both keep hold of their starting roles for the fixture with the basement team.
Real Valladolid possible starting lineup:
Hein; Perez, J Sanchez, Ozkacar, Aznou; I Sanchez, Grillitsch, Martin, Moro; Andre, Sylla
Celta Vigo possible starting lineup:
Guaita; Jailson, Starfelt, Alonso; Carreira, Rodriguez, Sotelo, Mingueza; Aspas, Iglesias, Gonzalez
We say: Real Valladolid 1-2 Celta Vigo
Celta have struggled to play their best football on their travels this season, but Real Valladolid's form is so disappointing that it is incredibly difficult to back them to pick up a positive result - we fancy Celta to edge this match, pushing the hosts closer to the Segunda Division in the process.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
