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Match Preview
The second to last match of the 2017-18 La Liga campaign will take place on Saturday at the Bernabéu for the last time this season. Real Madrid remain in the same position they did on Wednesday after a disappointing and rather confusing match against Sevilla.
Real had a chance to go tied with Atlético in the table, after they lost 2-0 to Espanyol over the past weekend, but failed to capitalize. Atlético takes on Getafe on Saturday as well, though it doesn’t seem Real is too concerned with moving up in the standings anymore; nor do they have to with a Champions League spot assured for next season.
The last time Celta and Real met was back in January of this year. It was a 2-2 draw in Galicia, where Gareth Bale would be the lone scorer with a brace. Celta Vigo are currently 12th in the league table with 46 points.
The last match of the season at the Bernabéu will be one Real will want to win, or at least put a better effort forth than they did against Sevilla. Real travels to Estadio de la Cerámica next weekend to face Villarreal and then it’s off to Kyiv to take on Liverpool in the Champions League Final.
Injuries/Suspensions
Real are still without Dani Carvajal and Cristiano Ronaldo. Carvajal should be ready for the Final in Kyiv, though he most likely won’t see anymore La Liga action. Ronaldo will miss this match, but may return by the Villarreal match next weekend. Isco has been training with the team, but it is still uncertain if he will feature against Celta Vigo. All three should be match fit for Liverpool at the end of the month.
No suspensions for Real against Celta with Gareth Bale returning from suspension.
Celta Vigo will be without Pione Sisto, Nemanja Radoja, and Emre Mor. Iago Aspas is back from injury and is in their released squad.
Potential XIs
Real Madrid
Navas; Nacho, Varane, Ramos, Marcelo; Modric, Casemiro, Kroos; Bale, Asensio, Mayoral
Once again like the match against Sevilla, these lineups could look vastly different than what’s predicted here. Theo and Vallejo struggled against Sevilla and so they’ll likely both be sitting. Zidane could choose to rest Ramos and instead start Hakimi at right back. Casilla also did not look very good against Sevilla, so Navas will likely return in goal.
Modric and Kroos both sat against Sevilla, so they could return as starters in favor of Kovacic and Ceballos. I don’t think Llorente will get a start, but you never know what Zidane is thinking.
Bale missed the Sevilla match due to suspension and he may get a start here in favor of Vasquez, who started on Wednesday. If Isco is not match fit or not ready to start, Asensio may get another start. Benzema started on Wednesday, so Mayoral may get a start since he scored in the late minutes as a substitute.
Celta Vigo
Sergio; Mallo, Sergi Gómez, Cabral, Jonny; Lobotka, Jozabed, Wass, Méndez, Maxi Gómez, Iago Aspas
Prediction
3-1 Real Madrid-Celta Vigo
Should most of Real’s first team start, they SHOULD get the win at home for the final time this season. While the Sevilla match was forgettably bad, most of the first team didn’t even start, so I wouldn’t think it’s too much of a worry.
Real has sort of checked out on La Liga since the league was already won a few weeks ago. And with no real reason to move up in the standings, other than “bragging rights” over Atlético, there’s even less motivation.
The important thing now is to make sure all of the important fixtures of this squad remain healthy for the Champions League Final in two weeks. Now, that doesn’t mean close to a full squad will start over the next two matches, but they’re certainly not going overwhelm themselves with an all-out effort for 3 points.
I think they’ll put together a better performance altogether than they did against Sevilla, particularly because the lineup most likely will be different and likely for the better. They could certainly draw or even manage to lose, but a win should be something that comes out of this weekend after a disappointing effort in Seville.