No winner after 90 minutes?
The Copa del Rey sixteenth-final will feature a clash between first division teams Espanyol Barcelona and Celta Vigo.
The home side will be banking on the home bonus: They have not conceded a defeat in four home encounters with Vigo and have won half of those games.
In league play, the teams again each have room for improvement, with the hosts occupying only 16th place and the visitors following right behind in the last non-relegation spot in the 20-team division.
For the match between Espanyol Barcelona and Celta Vigo, the tip aims for a draw after regular time.
Espanyol Barcelona – Statistics & current form
Espanyol have not lost against Vigo at home for more than six years, but in the current league campaign the “Blanquiazules” do not present themselves convincingly in front of their own fans.
The 14th-placed team in the Spanish top flight last season won only one of its seven home games and the majority were even lost (1-2-4)!
Defence acts vulnerable
One shortcoming of coach Diego Martinez’s side is their shaky defence, which has already conceded 13 goals – only Cadiz have conceded more, but they have also played one more home game. In addition, Joselu’s attack has deteriorated recently.
Although the striker, who joined from Alaves before the season, still has the most goals on the home side and scored in the derby against Barcelona last Saturday, the equaliser for the final score of 1-1 only came from the penalty spot.
It was also his first goal in league action in five rounds of matches. The 32-year-old, who has also played for Hannover and Frankfurt in the Bundesliga during his career, also failed to score in previous pre-season tests against Mechelen and FC Torino.
RCDE also have a difficult game in their bones: as described, the “Periquitos” faced FC Barcelona in the derby last weekend.
Predicted line-up of Espanyol Barcelona:
Garcia – Cabrera – Gil – Simo – Olivan – Melamed – Bare – Calero – Lazo – Joselu – Puado
Last matches played by Espanyol Barcelona:
La Liga
31/12/2022 – FC Barcelona 1 – 1 Espanyol
Copa del Rey
21/12/2022 – CD Atletico Paso 0 – 1 Espanyol
Friendly club matches
14/12/2022 – Espanyol 1 – 1 KV Mechelen
10/12/2022 – FC Torino 1 – 0 Espanyol
Copa del Rey
13/11/2022 – CD Rincon 0 – 3 Espanyol
Celta Vigo – Statistics & current form
Celta have reached the final of the Copa del Rey four times so far. However, the finals always ended in defeat for Vigo. So the “Celtiñas” have not yet managed a major triumph in the competition.
Moreover, things are not going well in La Liga this season either. One reason is the weak offensive – only six teams in the Iberian top flight score fewer goals of their own. However, Iago Aspas must be excluded from the criticism of the Himmelblauen’s attack.
Even at the age of 35, the striker is unstoppable: For seven seasons, he has always delivered a double-digit goal output for Celta, and with seven goals in 14 appearances, this series seems to be continuing.
What’s more, he scored three of Vigo’s four goals in the two pre-match test matches against Brentford of the British Premier League and Boavista Porto of La Liga Portugal!
Next goal by the evergreen oldie?
In light of this, betting odds on his next goal celebration are also recommended in the clash between Espanyol Barcelona and Celta Vigo.
There is little hope for the Galician side in terms of away results in the league so far. The team from the Estadio Balaidos has only recorded one win in seven La Liga matches (1-1-5).
Only Elche and Cadiz have been even more unsuccessful away from home. Coach Carlos Carvalhal cannot be satisfied with the defensive performance on foreign soil, among other things. Last season’s eleventh-placed team conceded an average of more than two goals in La Liga.
Goals on both sides?
In view of this and the aforementioned equally weak home defence, the prediction of goals on both sides in the clash between Espanyol Barcelona and Celta Vigo is also worth considering.
The additional prediction is supported by the statistics: No more than two of the last ten duels did not end with goals for both teams!
Predicted line-up of Celta Vigo:
Villar – Mingueza – Aidoo – Nunez – Galan – Cervi – Beltran – Veiga – Perez – Pacienca – Larsen
Last matches played by Celta Vigo:
La Liga
31/12/2022 – Celta Vigo 1 – 1 Sevilla FC
Copa del Rey
23/12/2022 – SD Gernika 0 – 3 Celta Vigo
Club friendlies
13/12/2022 – Celta Vigo 3 – 1 Brentford
07/12/2022 – Celta Vigo 1 – 1 Boavista
Copa del Rey
13/11/2022 – CD Algar 1 – 6 Celta Vigo
Espanyol Barcelona – Celta Vigo Direct comparison / H2H-balance
The last time the teams faced each other was last August in Vigo. The match ended in a 2-2 draw, which was the seventh draw in the last ten duels
Espanyol Barcelona – Celta Vigo Tip
Espanyol may be four-time cup winners in the country, most recently in 2006, but there is little to suggest the home side will be too successful in the current edition of the Copa del Rey.
In La Liga, the hosts are in fifth-last place and only Sevilla FC and Elche are weaker at home. For the showdown between Espanyol Barcelona and Celta Vigo, the tip now includes a draw after 90 minutes.
Admittedly, the Catalans are in a state of great disrepair, but the same can be said for the visitors.
Vigo are even one place lower in the Spanish top flight table and the home weakness of the hosts is offset by Celta’s poor record away from home.
Only Almeria and Elche rank behind the “Celts” in the corresponding ranking league-wide. Moreover, draws have been almost the norm in this pairing in the recent past, with 70 per cent of the last ten encounters featuring this outcome!
