Celta Vigo welcome Villarreal to Abanca-Balaidos in Wednesday’s Spanish La Liga matchup. With attacking talent on both teams and plenty at stake, this promises to be a thrilling encounter.
Celta head into this game following a heartbreaking 4-3 league defeat at Barcelona, a game in which they squandered a two-goal lead and conceded a 98th minute winner. The result saw them miss out on the chance to move within touching distance of the top five.
Claudio Giraldez’s men have now suffered back to back losses in the La Liga for the first time since mid-January after a solid run of eight games without defeat, winning five. While the 16 goals netted in the last 10 league games is impressive, Celta’s defence has been breached 15 times in the same period, failing to keep a clean sheet in the last four fixtures.
Villarreal on the other hand come into this encounter unbeaten in the last four La Liga games, playing out a 2-2 draw against Real Sociedad last time out. Marcelino’s men are currently fifth in the table, four points above the chasing pack.
The visitors have been clinical going forward, netting in eight of their last 10 La Liga matches. However, their defensive lapses remain a concern, failing to keep a clean sheet in five of their last six fixtures in the league.
How the bookies view it: Little to separate them
There is little to separate both teams among the bookies, with a win for Celta Vigo priced at 11/8 by BoyleSports, who are offering odds of 8/5 for a Villarreal victory. A draw is valued at 9/4.
Head to head: Closely fought encounters
Villarreal have a 16-15 advantage with eight draws from 39 previous matches against Celta Vigo. The visitors claimed a 4-3 home victory in the reverse fixture back in August.
Players to watch: Road Warrior Perez
Ayoze Perez is Villarreal’s top scorer with 14 La Liga goals, 10 of which have come on the road. The forward was on target last weekend and is priced at 7/4 by BoyleSports to get on the score sheet on Wednesday.
Fresh off his hat-trick at Barcelona, Borja Iglesias could be worth keeping an eye on for Celta Vigo. The striker opened the scoring in the reverse fixture and is priced at 15/8 by BoyleSports to find the net once again.
Probable line-ups
Celta Vigo will be without defender Carl Starfelt, who is still out injured. However, Iker Losada, Williot Swedberg and Iglesias are expected to start in attack.
For Villarreal, Gerrard Moreno, Raul Albiol, Alex Baena and Ilias Akhomach are unavailable due to injury, while Sergi Cardona is suspended. However, Yeremy Pino, Thierno Barry and Perez are all expected to remain in the line-up.
Celta Vigo: Guaita, Rodriguez, Lago, Alonso, Carreira, Beltran, Duran, Moriba, Losada, Swedberg, Iglesias
Villarreal: Luiz Junior, Cardona, Costa, Foyth, Femenia, Suarez, Parejo, Comesana, Pino, Barry, Perez
Anything else catch the eye?
The last four matches between Celta Vigo and Villarreal have produced over 3.5 goals, which is priced at 7/4 with BoyleSports. Over 2.5 goals can be considered at 4/6 with BoyleSports, who are also offering 8/15 on both teams to score.
Each of the last four meetings between both sides have produced over 1.5 goals in the first half and a repeat could be on the cards at 6/4.
This La Liga match between Celta Vigo and Villarreal will be played on and kick off at 18:00. Check below for our tipsters best Celta Vigo vs Villarreal prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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