Sestao River vs Celta Vigo Prediction: Celta can continue Copa charge

A place in the third round of the Copa del Rey is up for grabs on Thursday (20:00), with third-tier side Sestao looking to cause an upset when they host La Liga strugglers Celta Vigo for a second-round tie.

The two sides have not met since 1992, when Vigo ran out 4-0 winners, and an interesting clash could be on the cards with both teams 18th in their respective leagues.

Celta will be expecting to progress, but they have been dumped out by lower-tier opposition as recently as the 2021/22 season, so nothing is a given at the Campo Municipal de Las Llanas.

Team news

Celta made plenty of changes for their first-round tie and will likely do the same against their third-tier hosts, with the likes of Ivan Villar, Fran Beltran, Anastasios Douvikas and Williot Swedberg looking to feature again.

Jon Cabo Madariaga has been coming off the bench for Sestao lately, but he netted twice in their 4-3 first-round win and will be expecting to lead the line for the hosts once again.

Match Odds

Vigo are unsurprisingly favourites to win this tie, with their odds of 4/11 far lower than the 6/1 for Sestao and 7/2 for the draw that are available.

There is not much faith in Celta Vigo’s defence, with 10/11 available for both teams to score, although the same figure has been chalked up for the opposite outcome.

Over 2.5 goals can be taken at 4/6 and those odds could be boosted, if you believe Celta will dominate, by taking the 13/8 available for the visitors to score over 2.5 by themselves.

Celta Vigo -1.0 handicap @ 11/10

Despite Celta Vigo’s league position, they have performed relatively well in recent weeks. A 1-1 draw with Cadiz on Monday was far from an ideal result for Rafa Bentiez’s side, however the performance would have satisfied the former Liverpool boss.

They outshot their opponents 26 to two and that level of dominance would surely see them sweep aside their third-tier hosts Sestao on Thursday, who have won just one of their last nine home matches - with the sole victory in that run coincidentally coming against Celta Vigo’s B team, RC Celta Fortuna.

The hosts are sat 18th in the Primera Federacion Group 1 and may struggle to contain Benitez’s side, who dispatched sixth-tier Turegano in the first round without ever getting out of second gear.

They are solid on their travels, too, even if bare results suggest otherwise. They are yet to lose by more than one goal when playing away this term, despite facing highflyers Barcelona, Girona and Atheltic Bilbao in that run, and have won five of their last seven road games in the Copa del Rey.

Vigo have lost only one of their last five matches, drawing with strong sides such as Valencia and Sevilla in that run, and should land a comfortable win in the Basque region on Thursday, meaning the handicap market appeals with Celta at -1.0 available at 11/10.

Draw/Celta Vigo half-time/full-time @ 3/1

Sestao may attempt to frustrate Vigo, just as many other teams have done to Celta this season, and could stand firm for 45 minutes on Thursday.

They have gone into half-time level in five of their last seven home matches and they may withhold their visitors’ barrage of shots for the first period at least.

Vigo are not the most clinical side, as shown by their one goal return from 26 shots against Cadiz, and may misfire once more before going on to win the tie as Sestao tire late on.

The draw/Celta Vigo half-time/full-time market appeals at odds of 3/1 and could be a solid bet.

Check out the rest of our Football Betting Tips at Betfred Insights.