Is Barca slipping against their bogey opponent?

The league leaders will take on their nemesis in Vigo at the Balaidos on Saturday as part of the 14th matchday in La Liga – a stadium where FC Barcelona have had major problems for many years. Will the league leaders lose points again after the international break, as was the case before the national team break?

That is the question before a tricky away game in Galicia, where Barça will of course still be the favorite, as the odds of the best betting apps show for Celta Vigo vs. Lamine Yamal, who has already missed the international matches due to injury, will also be missing for the Catalans in Vigo, which does not make the task of an away win any easier.

Of course, it doesn’t take much creativity to bet on the away win at Celta Vigo vs. Barcelona anyway – but be careful: the Catalans’ recent statistics at Celta serve as a warning. We look at the current form of both teams, the direct comparison and exciting odds and betting tips, and finally give our own Celta Vigo vs. Barcelona prediction.

Celta Vigo – Statistics & current form

Celta Vigo were not in the best of form before the international break. Rather, a trend has recently emerged that Celta are unable to maintain consistency in their performances: two defeats were followed by two unbeaten games, then two defeats again, and then there were two games without defeat again. Most recently, that was a narrow 1-0 home win against Getafe and a 2-2 draw at Betis. It was a respectable result, but it certainly left them feeling conflicted about the game. On the one hand, Celta did not play well in their own possession and had only three shots, but they still led 2-1 until injury time, only to concede the equalizer in the 94th minute.

Celta Vigo brave and good at home: will Barcelona have problems?

Celta are much better at playing than Barcelona, and the Celestes usually show this especially in their home games. At home, coach Claudio Giraldez’s team plays with courage and confidence, and this is reflected in the results. Celta have won 13 of their 17 home games this season, winning four of their seven home games at Balaidos and scoring in six of their seven home games. The only game in which they didn’t score was the unlucky late 1-0 defeat to Atletico, although they did squander two top-class chances. Fittingly, only two teams have missed more big chances than Celta (20): Betis (26) and Barcelona (34).

So Barcelona should be warned. For us, the Celta Vigo vs. Barcelona tip is therefore an obvious one for both teams to meet and for over 2.5 goals. When the team with the most goals (Barcelona, 40) meets the team with the fourth-most (Celta, 20), you can hope for goals and expect them. This is also shown by the direct comparison, which recently spoke a remarkable language – more on this below in the corresponding section.

Barcelona – Statistics & current form

Barcelona was hungrier for goals than any other top team in Europe before the international break – until the last game in San Sebastian. That is where FC Barcelona’s remarkable run came to an end. After seven wins in a row, in which Barcelona scored 29 goals, they suffered a 1-0 defeat at Real Sociedad two weeks ago. The second LaLiga defeat was also their second away game, and Barcelona also lost in Monaco (2-1) in the Champions League.

Is there a threat of adversity in Vigo at Balaidos too? Based on Celta’s home form and their record against Barça (see direct comparison), you should at least briefly consider the Celta Vigo vs. Barcelona betting odds on the double chance 1X.

FC Barcelona: Yamal is injured, how rested is Raphinha?

Because Barcelona are favorites, of course – even without the injured Lamine Yamal. It should also be borne in mind that his counterpart on the offensive wing, the in-form Raphinha (7 goals, 6 assists), was in action with Brazil’s national team in South America and had a corresponding workload.

So who will top scorer Robert Lewandowski (16 goals) be fed by in Vigo? Dani Olmo is likely to start, and the former Leipzig player has also shown himself to be in the mood for scoring and playing when he is fit. However, Barcelona should definitely get enough chances against Celta, because Celta have the second-weakest defense, with 22 goals conceded, and have conceded two or more goals in six games.

Celta Vigo – Barcelona Direct comparison / H2H record

We already hinted at it at the beginning of this preview: the direct comparison is remarkable. Celta have only lost two of the last ten home games against Barcelona. There have been four wins and four draws during that time – Barça have traditionally had big problems at Balaidos, Celta repeatedly rise above themselves against the Catalans at home, playing with confidence and courage and scoring with clinical precision. Celta scored 21 goals against Barça in that span – an average of two per game.

Incidentally, the Celta Vigo vs. Barcelona odds of online bookmakers on the home win are 4.50 – this quote can also be found in the Bet365 app. The overall record in Vigo’s stadium is completely even: Celta won 24 of 66 games in Balaidos, with Barça winning 23 and drawing 19.

Celta Vigo – Barcelona Tip

So you shouldn’t expect the league leaders to have an easy walk on Saturday evening. Of course, the Blaugrana have the strength to beat any opponent, as they impressively demonstrated against Bayern and Real Madrid. But Celta are strong and brave at home – the Catalans could therefore face some problems, at least defensively, which they also had in their recent defeat in San Sebastian.
We think it’s realistic to expect goals on both sides and therefore more than 2.5 for us. Ultimately, however, Celta’s defense has been very vulnerable for years and also this season. The Galicians often leave a lot of gaps against the ball – which Lewandowski and Co. usually know how to exploit like no other team at the moment. For this reason, we are giving the Celta Vigo vs. Barcelona prediction: the league leaders will win, but not without conceding a goal.