Barcelona vs Celta Vigo Prediction: Barca can win but will concede

What a week it has been for Barcelona fans as a potential treble continues to be up for grabs. A big game on Saturday afternoon though awaits and you can watch on LaLiga TV with kick-off set for 15:15.

As always our La Liga Betting Expert is on hand to cover Barca and he puts together his two Best Bets for the match in his in-depth match preview. You can check out his Barcelona vs Celta Vigo Predictions below...

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Barcelona took another step towards a potential treble on Wednesday night, despite losing for the first in 2025 in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Borussia Dortmund. They are back in action in La Liga against Celta Vigo on Saturday.  

While there was no point in midweek that Barça looked in serious danger of exiting the competition, they had to sustain spells of heavy pressure at the Westfalenstadion in one of their shakiest performances of the campaign. A 3-1 defeat on the night, but 5-3 victory on aggregate, sets up a semi-final against Inter Milan, but they've got three domestic assignments to squeeze in before that tie commences the week after next.  

Hansi Flick will certainly have one eye on next weekend's Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid too, and it's going to be a delicate balancing act for the German as he bids to keep key players fresh, without dropping any points in La Liga.  

He rested Pedri, comfortably Barcelona's best midfielder this season, in Dortmund, and their lack of control in the centre of the pitch in comparison to the first leg was very striking. It highlighted the reality that there are still one or two gaps in this squad, and Flick will be desperately hoping the likes of Pedri, Raphinha and Lamine Yamal can stay fit between now and the end of what could be a historic season for the club.  

Barça are the current favourites in each of the three competitions they are fighting for, but they have been made to sweat in their last two league games. They were held to a 1-1 draw by Real Betis in their last La Liga outing at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, while they needed an own goal to seal a 1-0 victory at struggling Leganés last time out.  

It's perhaps a bit premature to call this a dip in form, given they were outstanding in the first leg against Dortmund, but Flick will still be looking for a response here after a poor display in midweek.  

Celta Vigo are certainly capable of giving the league leaders something to think about. They are having a terrific season under the guidance of their young boss Claudio Giráldez who has been a breath of fresh air, following the high profile, but ultimately underwhelming reign of his predecessor Rafael Benítez.  

From the off, Giráldez turned to a number of his former B-team players, as the Celta first-team squad was freshened up with homegrown talent. Some of those players were well into their 20s having barely tasted football outside the Spanish third tier, so it was a risky strategy on many levels, but it has certainly paid off.  

The Celta fan base has really bought into the approach, and with the Galician side currently 7th in La Liga, a position that is set to be good enough for Europa League qualification, the results largely speak for themselves.  

There is no longer a dependency on long-serving Iago Aspas who has been Celta's star player for the past decade, following his return to the club in 2015. While the 37-year-old remains Celta's top scorer with eight goals in La Liga, the emergence of the likes of Pablo Durán and Alfon González means there are now other sources of goals in this team.  

One of the most striking things about Giráldez's approach is his willingness to change players, particularly in attack, from week to week. It's virtually impossible to predict who will start in the three most advanced roles on any given weekend. There have been many cases where players have performed well, only to drop to the bench for the next game.  

Giráldez clearly believes that each match and each opponent requires a unique approach and that is keeping opposing coaches guessing, with the likes of Borja Iglesias, Fer López, Williot Swedberg and Iker Losada vying for places in the Celta attack.  

They head into this game after a setback last weekend, in the form of a surprise 2-0 home defeat against lowly Espanyol. That result came on the back of an excellent eight-game unbeaten run though, so confidence levels should still be relatively high in the visiting camp heading into this.  

Team News:  

Barcelona came through their trip to Dortmund without any fresh injury setbacks. Dani Olmo was able to feature off the bench in that game, which suggests he'll be back in contention for a starting role either here, or against Mallorca this coming Tuesday.  

Pedri and Iñigo Martínez both look certain to return having been rested in midweek, but Flick could consider leaving one or two of his other regulars on the bench. Marc-André ter Stegen, Marc Casadó, Alejandro Balde and Marc Bernal miss out due to injury again.  

As for Celta, they are missing Carl Starfelt to a hamstring issue which will spark a change in defence. Otherwise, there are no major problems for Giráldez who is likely to consider some rotation in midfield and attacking areas again.  

Barcelona vs Celta Vigo Odds

Barcelona are priced at 2/7 to record a victory that would, temporarily at least, give them a seven-point advantage at the top of La Liga. You can back the Draw at 5/1, while Celta Vigo are priced at 8/1 to secure victory in the Catalan capital.  

They were 2-1 winners in Barcelona in 2021, and all of the last four meetings overall have produced goals for each team. You can back Both teams to score at 8/13 here, while Over 3.5 goals is on offer at 10/11.  

If you're expecting the home team to take care of business with little drama, Barcelona -1.00 Handicap is on offer at 8/11, while you can back Barcelona and Over 3.5 goals at 5/4. Alternatively, Draw or Celta Vigo is on offer at 5/2 in the Double Chance market.  

Robert Lewandowski leads the way as the 3/1 favourite to score first, while the Pichichi leader is on offer at 4/6 to score anytime. Raphinha is also on offer at 5/4 to get on the scoresheet, while Aspas is priced at 11/4 to score anytime for the visitors.  

Bet 1 - Barcelona over 1.5 goals & Barcelona over 5.5 corners @ 10/11  

Barcelona's team sheet will be one to watch as ever. Flick made a few surprising calls in midweek, but he did stick with all of his usual front three, when Ferran Torres looked a strong candidate to rotate in for Lewandowski given the circumstances. 

We're sure to see some rotation from Barça over the course of the next two league games, but Tuesday's clash with Mallorca seems a more likely candidate for widespread rotation, given its proximity to the Copa del Rey final and the first leg of the Champions League semi-final. 

That suggests we should see a strong line up from Flick here and they ought to have too much attacking quality for a Celta side that has lost over half of their away league games this term. 

The visitors are also missing one of their best defenders given Starfelt's injury. With Barça averaging 2.73 goals and 8.27 corners per home game in La Liga this term, I'm using the Bet Builder to back Barcelona over 1.5 goals and Barcelona over 5.5 corners at 10/11 here. 

Bet 2 - Barcelona & Both teams to score @ 13/10 

Celta have scored on four of their last five visits to Barcelona in La Liga, and they are not the kind of team that will just park the bus and play for a point here. 

That may turn out to be good news for the home team who have tended to struggle more in matches against more defensively-minded sides such as Leganés who were awkward opponents for them again last weekend. 

The Galicians have only failed to score in two of their 15 away games in the league this term, and I can certainly see them creating opportunities in this game, but Barça's additional quality should be telling over the course of 90 minutes. I'm backing Barcelona and Both teams to score at 13/10.