Espanyol vs Celta de Vigo – News and Probable Lineups

Espanyol will be looking to prevent a fifth consecutive defeat in Spain’s top tier when they face Celta Vigo at the RCDE Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The home side currently holds sixth position in the La Liga standings, just one point ahead of seventh-placed Celta, as both teams strive to secure European football for the 2026-27 season.

Match overview

Espanyol has performed admirably for parts of this season; however, the Catalan team has suffered four straight losses in the league, having been defeated in five of their last six outings.

Under the management of Manolo Gonzalez, Espanyol remains in sixth place, but they are only one point ahead of Celta and three above a resurgent Real Sociedad in eighth, indicating a lack of comfort in maintaining a top-six status.

The White and Blues haven’t celebrated a league victory since defeating Athletic Bilbao 2-1 on December 22, and their home results this season have been inconsistent, recording six wins, one draw, and five losses in twelve league matches at home.

Espanyol does hold a strong recent record against Celta, having won five of their last seven clashes across all competitions, with only one loss in that span.

Actually, the Catalan side has only been defeated by Celta twice since September 2016, yet one of those defeats occurred during a 3-1 home loss in March 2023.

Celta arrives at Saturday’s fixture following a 2-1 home defeat to Osasuna, having secured only one point from their last three league encounters.

The Sky Blues last claimed victory in the league on January 18 when they defeated Rayo Vallecano 3-0 at home, prior to winning 2-1 against Lille in the Europa League.

Claudio Giraldez’s team is gearing up to contend with PAOK in the Europa League knockout round playoffs, with the first leg scheduled in Greece for next week.

However, the immediate focus for Celta must be on La Liga, as they are vying for a top-six place, and a win against Espanyol would propel them above the Catalan team in the standings.

This season, the Sky Blues have recorded eight wins, nine draws, and six losses in their 23 league matches, accumulating 33 points.

Spanish La Liga form:

LDLLLLL

Celta Vigo La Liga form:

WWWLDL

Celta Vigo form (all competitions):

WWLDDL

Team News

Espanyol will be without Javi Puado, who is sidelined due to a long-term knee injury, but the team is otherwise in good condition for the match.

Carlos Romero and Roman Terrats are set to return to the squad after missing the opportunity to play against their parent club Villarreal in the prior fixture.

Kike Garcia may be introduced into the attack, while Cyril Ngonge could also make his starting debut after impressing in his substitute appearance against Villarreal.

As for Celta, Alvaro Nunez remains uncertain due to a fitness issue, but there aren’t any additional concerns for their encounter with Espanyol.

Head coach Giraldez is expected to make adjustments to the lineup from the match against Osasuna, with Oscar Mingueza and Williot Swedberg likely to be included.

Furthermore, Borja Iglesias will surely start again after netting nine goals in 21 La Liga appearances this season.

Espanyol probable starting XI:

Dmitrovic; El Hilali, Riedel, Cabrera, Romero; Ngonge, Exposito, Zarate, Lozano, Milla; K Garcia

Celta Vigo probable starting XI:

Radu; Alonso, Starfelt, Rodriguez; Carreira, Moriba, Roman, Mingueza; Swedberg, Iglesias, Lopez

This match poses a challenging prediction, as both sides are currently finding it difficult to secure wins. Both managers are likely eager to achieve a favorable outcome, which may lead to a tightly contested affair, with the possibility of a low-scoring draw.