Celta Vigo vs Barcelona Prediction: Back plenty of goals for Sunday night in La Liga

Barcelona make the trip to Celta Vigo in the Sunday night-cap in La Liga to round off Matchday 12. Kick-off is set for 20:00 and Premier Sports 2 will be showing the game live in the UK.

Our La Liga Betting expert Mark Sochon is taking point on this one, providing the team news, match odds and of course his two Best Bets for the action. Let's check out his Celta Vigo vs Barcelona Predictions here on Betfred Insights...

*You can check out all the Football Odds and markets on offer with us over at betfred.com

Match Preview:

Barcelona head to Vigo on Sunday for what has the potential to be a high-scoring encounter in La Liga. The recent history of this fixture certainly suggests that will be the case. 

There were 11 goals scored in the two meetings last season. The sides played out a 2-2 draw at the Estadio de Balaídos last November. A Borja Iglesias hat-trick put Celta 3-1 up in the reverse fixture, before Barça rallied to win 4-3, with Raphinha scoring the decisive goal in the 97th minute.  

Celta have avoided defeat in three of their last four home games against the Catalan giants, and they'll certainly fancy their chances again this weekend.  

It's the Galicians who take the better form into the game. They've won their last five matches in all competitions, and are unbeaten in eight. Claudio Giráldez will be very happy with how things are progressing, after his side bizarrely drew seven of their opening nine league games 1-1, falling to defeats in the other two. 

They were the only remaining winless team in La Liga just a fortnight ago, but there was always a sense that Celta would eventually come good. They move the ball well and their young boss has continued to look to develop players from the B team that he used to manage. 

One of the latest graduates, Miguel Román, came off the bench to score a 91st-minute winner at Levante last weekend. Pablo Durán, another of Giráldez's former reserve team players, then scored a brace as Celta impressively triumphed 3-0 away to Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League on Thursday to extend their winning streak. 

Barcelona had been in European action in Belgium the previous night, drawing 3-3 against Club Brugge. This was the latest episode of Hansi Flick's high line looking very unconvincing, with their opponents exploiting it from virtually the first minute.  

Wojciech Szczęsny also had a difficult night in goal, but there was one big positive for the reigning Spanish champions, with Lamine Yamal looking sharp and back to his best following a recent injury. 

Various selection issues have certainly contributed to Barça's struggles in recent weeks. They've won just three of their last seven games in all competitions, and have ground to make up at the top of La Liga, as a result of defeats to Sevilla and Real Madrid. 

Flick will know that his side can't afford too many more slip-ups, but he has so far failed to come up with any kind of alternative plan to get through this difficult period.  

Without Raphinha, and with a number of their other attacking players not fully fit, they've not pressed well from the front. That has left Barça extremely vulnerable, with a number of opponents managing to slice through the heart of their team and play dangerous balls into space for forwards to run onto. 

Team News: 

Even last season, Giráldez frequently made wholesale changes from week to week, with the depth that exists in this Celta Vigo squad leaving them quite well equipped to cope with the demands of European football. With a number of senior players left on the bench in Zagreb, we're only likely to see two or three of the starters in that match keep their places on Sunday night. 

First-choice goalkeeper Ionut Radu missed the trip to Croatia due to an injury, and remains a doubt for this game. Williot Swedberg and Hugo Álvarez are also fitness concerns, while Javi Rueda is the home team's only definite absentee. 

As for the visitors, Barcelona will again have to cope without the injured quartet of Raphinha, Pedri, Gavi and Marc-André ter Stegen. The good news for them is that Joan García is nearing fitness, and has an outside chance of making the trip to Vigo. 

Pau Cubarsí should rotate into the defence, while Robert Lewandowski and Dani Olmo are now both in contention for starts following their recent injuries. 

Match Odds:

Despite their recent struggles, Barcelona are still the clear favourites at 4/6 to win this game. You can back Celta Vigo at 7/2, while the Draw is priced at 10/3, a winning bet in seven of the home team's 11 league matches so far this term. 

You can back yet another 1-1 draw involving Celta at 17/2. The hosts are priced at 11/8 to score over 1.5 goals in this game, while you can back Both teams to score two or more goals at 5/2. 

Barça are on offer at 6/4 to score over 2.5 goals. You can also back Barcelona to win and Both teams to score at 13/8, while the visitors are priced at 21/20 to score in both halves. 

Flick does have nearly all of his attacking players available. Yamal is the only one who is guaranteed to start, and he's available at 5/1 to score first, and 11/8 to score anytime. Rashford also looks likely to play, with the Englishman on offer at 6/5 to score anytime. 

Iglesias should rotate back in to lead the line for Celta. The Spain international has scored four times so far this term in La Liga, and is priced at 13/2 to score first, and 7/4 to score anytime. 

You can bet on this match via our Celta Vigo vs Barcelona Odds page on the main betfred.com website, with all the latest prices and full betting markets.

Bet 1 - Over 3.5 goals @ 1/1 

Goals are pretty much guaranteed whenever Barcelona play right now. They have some very obvious defensive flaws, but Flick continues to take risks and has shown no willingness whatsoever to compromise on the high line. 

Celta are not the kind of side who will drop deep and look to play on the break against them. Giráldez is one of the more attack-minded coaches in La Liga, and his side went toe-to-toe with the Catalans last term, scoring five times across the two meetings. 

Everything points to this being another open affair, and I'm backing Over 3.5 goals at 1/1. 

Bet 2 - Celta Vigo +1.0 Handicap & Both teams to score @ 13/8 

All of Barcelona's last nine matches in all competitions have seen both teams score. Even the likes of Real Oviedo, Girona, Elche and Olympiacos have managed to breach their defence during that period. 

There's every reason to expect Celta to do likewise at least once. Their summer attacking additions Ferran Jutglà and Bryan Zaragoza are starting to settle after a slow start. The former won't be lacking motivation against his old club, while some of Zaragoza's best performances in a disjointed career to date have come against Barcelona. 

With the hosts in great form, I'm expecting them to get a result from this match, and I'm using the Bet Builder to back Celta Vigo +1.0 Handicap and Both teams to score at 13/8. 

Mark Sochon P/L 25/26 Season:

• Points Staked: 79
• Points Returned: 82.80
• P/L: +3.8

You can check out Mark's Football Betting Tips along with those from the rest of the Betfred Insights Spanish Football writers on our La Liga home page...

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