Atletico vs Celta Vigo – News and Probable Lineups

Following their exit in the semi-finals of the Champions League, Atletico Madrid will continue their La Liga season with a home match against Celta Vigo on Saturday evening.

Currently sitting fourth in the La Liga standings, Atletico is 10 points ahead of Real Betis in fifth place, while Celta occupies sixth, just three points clear of Getafe, who sit seventh in the European qualification race.

Match overview

Atletico narrowly lost to Arsenal in the Champions League semi-finals, with a 2-1 aggregate score, and their primary aim now is to secure participation in Europe’s top club competition for the 2026-27 season.

Currently, Diego Simeone’s team is fourth in the standings, needing a win in this match to cement their top-four position ahead of the final matches of the campaign.

The Red and Whites won against Valencia 2-0 at Mestalla in their most recent league encounter at the beginning of May, and their last home La Liga game ended with a 3-2 victory over Athletic Bilbao.

Although the disappointment from their Champions League exit will linger, they will aim to finish their season strongly with four victories against Celta, Osasuna, Girona, and Villarreal.

This season, Atletico has amassed 43 points from 17 home league games, while Celta boasts the third-best away record in the league, having secured 27 points from 17 fixtures.

Celta comes into this match after a 3-1 victory over Elche, marking their first win in Spain’s top tier since early April.

The Sky Blues have recorded 12 wins, 11 draws, and 11 losses from their 34 league matches this season, earning 47 points and occupying sixth place in the table.

Claudio Giraldez’s team is thus positioned for a place in the Conference League, but they are six points behind fifth-place Real Betis, making qualification for the Europa League challenging.

Historically, Celta has only managed to secure 27 victories from their 132 encounters against Atletico in all competitions, though the last two fixtures have ended in draws, including a 1-1 stalemate in Vigo last October.

Both teams also played to a 1-1 draw at Atletico’s home ground last season, though Celta hasn’t triumphed over the Red and Whites since September 2018, with their last league victory at Atletico coming back in June 2007.

Atletico Madrid La Liga form:

LLLLWW

Atletico Madrid form (all competitions):

BURDEN

Celta Vigo La Liga form:

LWLLLW

Celta Vigo form (all competitions):

LLLLLW

Team News

Atletico will again be missing Pablo Barrios and Nico Gonzalez due to injuries this Saturday, although the rest of the squad appears to be in good condition.

Julian Alvarez only played 66 minutes in the second leg of the semi-final against Arsenal, and it is doubtful that the Argentina international, who has faced some fitness issues recently, will be in the starting lineup.

Alex Baena and Alexander Sorloth are both candidates to feature in the attack, while Johnny Cardoso, Rodrigo Mendoza, Nahuel Molina, and Clement Lenglet could also find their way into the starting XI.

For Celta, Miguel Roman and Carl Starfelt will be absent due to their injuries, while Matias Vecino will undergo a late fitness check before the fixture.

The visitors will certainly miss Javi Rueda, as he received a yellow card milestone in the win against Elche in the last match.

Oscar Mingueza is likely to step in for Rueda, and Borja Iglesias, who has netted 13 league goals this season, should also return to the starting lineup.

Atletico Madrid probable starting XI:

Oblak; Molina, Le Normand, Lenglet, Diaz; Mendoza, Cardoso; Simeone, Baena, Lookman; Sorloth

Celta Vigo probable starting XI:

Radu; Nunez, Lago, Rodriguez; Carreira, Lopez, Moriba, Mingueza; Alvarez, Iglesias, Jutgla

Celta aims to achieve an away victory against Atletico in the league for the first time in almost two decades on Saturday, but they anticipate that Simeone’s side will rebound from their disappointment in the Champions League and secure all three points.