Celta Vigo vs Barcelona 05/05/19

5 May 2019

After pulling off a stunning 3-0 home win over Liverpool in their midweek’s Champions League encounter, Barcelona return to La Liga action as they travel to the Estadio de Balaídos to take on the relegation fighters Celta Vigo.

Sitting two points clear of 18th-placed Real Valladolid with two La Liga fixtures left to play, the hosts have to make the most out of this clash to improve their chances of avoiding relegation. Having entered this round unbeaten in three successive league outings (W1, D2), Célticos are desperate to extend their unbeaten home streak against Barcelona to four games across all competitions (W2, D2). Three straight LL home triumphs ahead of this showdown give Fran Escribá legitimate right to hope for a positive outcome here, as well as, the fact Celestes have gobbled 25 of a total of 37 of their LL points at this venue (67.56%). Also, Celta’s recent home games have not been short of entertainment, with six of their last eight LL home meetings featuring over 2.5 goals.

Meanwhile, the visitors have defended La Liga crown with a narrow 1-0 home win over Levante last time out stretching their unbeaten run across all competitions to 23 games (W17, D6). Comparing to the first half of the season, the Blaugrana defense is a notable improvement, with Barcelona conceding barely one goal in their last eight competitive outings. On the other hand, Leo Messi and Co. have bagged 37 goals away from home so far, which is LL’s best attacking record, with the Catalans netting 2+ match goals on 10 of 17 LL road trips this term. Barcelona’s domination in the Spanish top tier has seen them grab 38 points away from home, which is more than Celta (37) have collected for the entire campaign. One thing that could worry Ernesto Valverde is Barca’s slow start to the game that has seen them lead at the halftime in ‘just’ eight LL away games.