Real Madrid Hits the Road for a Tough Test
A month ago, nobody had doubts about Real Madrid winning the La Liga title. That totally changed after Los Merengues got humiliated by Barcelona right before the international break. Another loss could reduce their lead over Sevilla and Barcelona to six points.
Carlo Ancelotti’s team comes in as the betting online favorite to defeat Celta de Vigo thanks to a -105 price. Nevertheless, Los Celestes accumulate six straight home games without losing.
Let’s check the latest news, stats, injury reports, and Spain La Liga odds for Celta vs Real Madrid. We’ve plenty of predictions for you to consider.
Celta de Vigo Doesn’t Lose Hope
For a team like Celta de Vigo, finishing in sixth place would be like winning the title. Regarding La Liga, sixth place is the last one to grant a ticket for a UEFA competition. To be more specific, the Europa League.
Right now, Celta is sitting in eleventh place, 12 points behind Real Sociedad, the team sitting in sixth place. There are nine games left until the end of the season, so yes, Los Celestes still have a chance.
That chance would increase, considerably, if they pull off the soccer betting upset against Real Madrid this Saturday. A $100 bet on Celta de Vigo could turn into $400. Again, that’s if they managed to get their sixth home victory of the season.
Iago Aspas, the team’s top scorer with 13 goals, is another reason to consider Los Celestes a tempting soccer pick. There’s also Santi Mina, who scored in three of the last four meetings between these two.
Real Madrid Feeling the Pressure
No need to panic, Real Madrid remains the clear online gambling favorite to win the La Liga title at -2000. Now there are two black horses to consider: Barcelona at +1200 and Sevilla at +5000.
The scenario changed after Barcelona crushed Real Madrid in the last edition of El Clasico. That game also served to confirm that Madrid is a team with Karim Benzema and another without him. Prior to El Clasico, Real Madrid won five straight games in all competitions with Benzema scoring in every match. He’s expected to return for this game. Same for Ferland Mendy.
More good news because Gareth Bale scored several goals during the international break. Madrid’s coaching staff hopes that motivates the winger to return to his best form. That would allow them to have an even deeper rotation.
Los Merengues own a 10-2-2 record when playing on the road. The total went over in eight of those games. Expect that trend to continue only if Benzema plays. As I mentioned before, he’s expected to return. However, the possibility of a relapse is the main reason for Madrid to be offering a -105 price.
Celta de Vigo vs Real Madrid Head-to-Head
- Previous Matches: 120
- Celta de Vigo Victories: 32 (153 goals)
- Real Madrid Victories: 69 (277 goals)
- Draws: 19
Real Madrid played host to Celta Vigo in September in what ended up being a goal-fest. Los Merengues came from behind twice to win 5-2. Karim Benzema was named the Man of the Match after scoring a hat-trick.
Los Celestes haven’t been able to defeat Madrid in their last 10 encounters. And that’s not all, Los Merengues scored two or more goals in each of their last five visits to Balaidos.
Celta de Vigo vs Real Madrid Game Information
- Date: Saturday, April 2
- Time: 12:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Abanca-Balaidos, Vigo
- Celta vs Real Madrid Live Stream: fubo.tv
Celta de Vigo vs Real Madrid Betting Lines
Celta de Vigo vs Real Madrid Prediction
Real Madrid deserves to be the favorite, but Celta de Vigo won’t be easy prey. I totally expect Benzema to return. Los Blancos needs him to pick up the pace to also have a shot at the UEFA Champions League title. Precisely, defeating Celta de Vigo would allow Los Blancos to face Chelsea without too much pressure. On the other hand, losing would mean chaos at the worst possible time.
Aspas and Mina will lead Celta’s efforts, but Madrid is an expert when it comes to suffering. Los Blancos will win by one goal. Besides Bale, Vinicius Junior is also highly motivated after scoring his first goal with Brazil’s national team.
Score Prediction: Real Madrid 2, Celta de Vigo 1
