Barcelona vs Celta Vigo 10/11/19

10 November 2019

Top-of-the-table Barcelona welcome relegation-threatened Celta Vigo to the Camp Nou looking to bounce back after a dismal 3-1 away La Liga (LL) defeat to Levante.

Midweek’s goalless home draw with Slavia Praha saw Barcelona draw a blank in a competitive match for the first time since a 2-0 away loss to Granada in late September. Nevertheless, the Catalans have been impressive at home in the league this term, winning all five of their LL outings at the Camp Nou. Four of those triumphs have seen them score at least four goals, although just one has witnessed them keep a clean sheet. Still, only six of Barca’s 14 LL goals conceded have come on home turf, four of which have arrived inside the first 45 minutes. Another convincing display is to be expected here, as Ernesto Valverde’s men have won four of their last five competitive home H2Hs with Celta (D1), scoring 19 goals across those clashes.

On the other hand, the visitors have suffered four consecutive league losses ahead of this trip, drawing a blank three times in the process. Also, they have not only failed to pick up a single LL win away from home this season (D2, L3), but they’ve also netted just two goals in those matches – LL’s joint-lowest goalscoring record. Celta’s away fixtures usually spark into life after the break, as eight of a total of nine away goals scored/conceded arrived in the second half. Keeping a clean sheet could be vital for Celta here, as both of their LL victories this term came via the same 1-0 scoreline. However, it will be a daunting prospect for the ‘Célticos’ to do that, as they’ve prevented Barca from scoring only once in 17 competitive trips to the Camp Nou in the 21^st century.