Prediciton: Celta Vigo vs Atletico Madrid

Verdict: Both teams score

Best odds: 59/100

Bookmaker: ZetBet

The midweek La Liga action concludes in Vigo at Estadio de Balaidos where in-form Atletico Madrid travels to Galicia to face Celta Vigo. The game will kick off Thursday night, offering a great opportunity for both sides to return to winning following the previous week’s setbacks.

Celta Vigo

Celta Vigo avoided the drop last term after a disappointing season that brought the team into a fierce fight to avoid relegation. Although Rafa Benitez was appointed to bring Celta back to the European competitions, the former Liverpool boss was axed two months before the season’s end.

While appointing Claudio Giraldez was considered a huge risk, the gamble paid off as the young Spanish manager guided his team to safety with 8 points above the floating line at the end of the season. Ending the previous term undefeated in the last three rounds (W2, D1), Celta Vigo continued their impressive form in the pre-season tour by winning four of their seven games played.

While a penalty shootout defeat to West Ham that concluded the visitor’s preparations had cast doubts for Celta’s La Liga opener against Alaves, the Sky Blues started the new campaign with a narrow win in front of their fans (2-1). Furthermore, benefiting from favourable scheduling by remaining in Vigo for the second-round clash against Valencia, Celta climbed the rankings after despatching his opponent with a statement win (3-1).

Flying high after two rounds, Claudio Giraldez’s team was brought back to reality after back-to-back away defeats. Despite surrendering at Villareal (4-3) and Osasuna (3-2), Celta Vigo maintained their upfront precision scoring 5 goals in these games, further proving Claudio Giraldez’s approach of playing high-paced attacking football.

Returning home after the Osasuna thriller, Celta Vigo maintained their perfect Estadio de Balaidos record by sending a message to Atletico Madrid after defeating Valladolid following another impressive display with three goals scored (3-1 final score).

Yet, Celta must improve on the road after the 3rd consecutive defeat (3-1 against Bilbao) that dropped the team to 9th,  two points below the Conference League position.

Team New

Celta had a nightmare in September after seeing four players joining the recovery room. Right-back Javier Manquillo is the latest player who suffered a setback after injuring his hamstring. A few changes are expected in the starting line-up considering Celta Vigo’s limited options, and probably a more defensive set-up considering Atletico Madrid’s attacking power.

Atletico Madrid

Despite a strong finish last term that brought Atletico Madrid’s 4th place and access to Champions League football, the fans were gutted to see their favourites losing ground to current champions and bitter rivals Real Madrid increasing the gap to 19 points.

Being the man who calls the shots at Atleti, Diego Simeone called for a squad overhaul during the Summer that saw a few profile players, like Alvaro Morata and Memphis Depay, departing the club. However, the club owners backed Diego Simeone to bring Premier League talent into the squad by transferring Julian Alvarez from Manchester City and Conor Galagher from Chelsea.

Following a perfect pre-season tour in which Atletico remained undefeated, they stumbled in the opening game after settling for a spectacular draw (2-2) at Villareal. Still, the Madrid side proved their credentials in the next round with a statement win at Wanda Metropolitano against Girona (3-0), before welcoming Espanyol next. While another success was expected, Diego Simeone’s team failed to hit the target and was forced to settle for a disappointing draw (0-0), despite inserting a clear dominance that returned 25 goal attempts.

With the new Champions League competition back, the Mattress Makers achieved top form before hosting RB Leipzig by despatching Athletic Bilbao away (0-1) and Valencia at home (3-0). Although Atletico Madrid was tipped to insert dominance against the Germans, Diego Simeone’s team settled the final score with a decisive late header from seasoned centre-back Jose Maria Gimenez.

Nevertheless, Diego Simeone’s team faltered in the final La Liga match, away at Rayo Vallecano, and was forced to settle for a draw (1-1), dropping them to fourth place, six points behind leaders Barcelona.

Team News

Diego Simeone has no injury concerns and can line up his best formation. Conor Galagher is expected to start after impressing recently by scoring in his last two La Liga appearances.

Key factors to consider

• Since the start of La Liga, Celta Vigo is undefeated at home (W3)
• The hosts’ last home win against Atletico Madrid was in 2018 (2-0)
• The visitors are undefeated across all competitions (W4, D2)
• Diego Simeone’s team failed to impress away from home (W1, D2)

Conclusion

Celta Vigo’s home strength will be tested against La Liga giants, Atletico Madrid. Since both teams are playing attacking football and proved capable of scoring, a scenario with goals scored by both sides is the most probable outcome.

Verdict: Both teams score

Best odds: 59/100

Bookmaker: ZetBet