Celta Vigo vs Barcelona – La Liga: TV channel, team news, lineups & prediction
Barcelona will round off a season which saw them reclaim the La Liga title by visiting relegation threatened Celta Vigo on the final matchday of the 2022/23 campaign.
Barça are 11 points clear of second placed Real Madrid and immediate thoughts have switched to the transfer window and the possible return of Lionel Messi for the 2023/24 term.
Celta Vigo, however, can afford no such similar thoughts as they sit in 17th, above the relegation zone by only a point. They are also worse off in positional tie-breakers than their rivals and will only confirm a place in Spain’s top flight with victory over the Catalans.
Here’s what you need to know about a defining clash in Galicia.
Celta Vigo vs Barcelona H2H Record (Last Five Games)
Current Form (Last Five Games)
|
Country |
TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
|
United Kingdom |
Viaplay Sports 1, Viaplay UK, LaLigaTV |
|
United States |
ESPN+, ESPN Deportes |
|
Canada |
TSN+ |
Celta Vigo team news
Fran Beltran and Agustin Marchesin remain out injured for the hosts.
(4-3-3): Villar; Mallo, Aidoo, Nunez, Galan; Veiga, Tapia, O. Rodriguez; Perez, Seferovic, Aspas.
Barcelona team news
Youngster Alejandro Balde won’t play in the final game of the season after picking up an ankle injury which will take around six weeks to recover from.
That means Jordi Alba will start at left back in his final outing for Barcelona, with Sergio Busquets also due to leave Catalonia after one last match.
Ronald Araujo and Pedri – two youngsters primed to remain in Barça’s squad for years to come – have been sidelined recently with muscle issues and it makes little sense to risk either on the final day.
(4-3-3): Ter Stegen; Roberto; Kounde, Christensen, Alba; De Jong, Busquets, Gavi; Dembele, Lewandowski, Fati.
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It’s survival day for Celta Vigo when they host Barça on Sunday.
The only way they can guarantee their La Liga status without relying on other results is by beating the new champions, and in wily striker Iago Aspas and young midfielder Gabri Veiga the Galician side have goal threats and are capable of picking up three points.
However, Carlos Carvalhal’s side are in awful form, managing only one point from their last six games. Even if Barcelona take their foot off the gas like they did in defeats to Real Sociedad and Real Valladolid, the champions have too much energy in midfield and ruthlessness in attack to predict anything other than an away win.