Celta Vigo vs Barcelona

Girona’s pursuit of a first-ever European qualification continues at the Estadio de Balaidos as they meet bottom-half Celta Vigo in a must-win clash.

An underwhelming four-game losing league run, bookended by a 2-1 defeat at Athletic Bilbao at the weekend, has left Celta Vigo’s survival hopes in shatters, leaving them only four points clear of the relegation zone, with three games left. Despite Carlos Carvalhal’s effort to settle the nerves in his ranks in the build-up to this fixture, anything other than victory could throw Celta’s season into further disarray. However, his men have blown hot and cold in their last four league outings on home turf (W1, D1, L2), with 23 of their 39 La Liga points this season coming at Balaidos. Despite performing far better at home, only Valladolid and Elche lament worse points tally on their playing ground than Celta, casting doubt on their bid to complete a league double over Girona after a 1-0 win in the reverse fixture.

In the meantime, Girona slumped to a late 2-1 home defeat to Villarreal last weekend, losing a potentially vital ground on the European qualification spots. With three rounds left to go, ‘Los Blanquivermells’ trail seventh-placed Bilbao by two points, highlighting the significance of defying a dismal six-game form on hostile turf (W1, D3, L2). But lower division included, the visitors are winless in their last three away league meetings with Celta (D1, L2), adding to their ever-growing problems on the road. But after drawing a blank on back-to-back La Liga travels (D1, L1), Michel’s men have netted precisely two goals in their last two away outings (W1, D1), something they could use to outmaneuver a misfiring Celta side.