Barcelona vs Celta Vigo: La Liga Match Preview, Predicted Line-ups and Fantasy XI

The Blaugranes are back in La Liga action on Saturday after securing back-to-back 5-0 triumphs during Barcelona vs Celta Vigo at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.

Match Details:

• Location: Barcelona, Spain
• Stadium: Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys
• Date: Saturday 23 September
• Kick-off Time: 17:30 BST / 12:30 ET / 09:30 PT
• Referee: Mario Malero Lopez
• VAR: Alejandro J. Hernandez

Barcelona vs Celta Vigo: Match Preview

Barcelona are in red-hot form ahead of the game against Celta Vigo. They have been scoring goals for fun and will look to pull another win when they host the Sky Blues, who have been struggling in the 2023/24 season. The visitors have only won one match so far in the league and are 16th in the points table.

The Catalan giants are second in the points table behind Real Madrid, who have a perfect record in the league. Barcelona have won four out of their five games in the league and have accumulated 13 points so far. They will look to add another three points when they face Celta Vigo.

🌍 Where will you be watching the game from? pic.twitter.com/MN4CxsnbVE

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) September 22, 2023

Xavi's team are heading into the fixture on the back of a 5-0 win over Royal Antwerp in the Champions League. Their last league outing was also a 5-0 win which came against Real Betis. Having scored ten goals without conceding even once in the last two outings, the visitors will be confident of getting the right result in their upcoming home game.

Celta Vigo have only managed four points in their five league games with one win and a draw. They are 16th on the points table and will be eager to climb up by pulling off an upset over the defending champions.

Their only win in the league came against Almeria away from home as Williot Swedberg scored a late winner to make it 3-2 in their favour. But, they are heading into this fixture on the back of a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Mallorca and things don't look good for them.

Team News:

Barcelona:

Xavi named a strong starting XI on Tuesday night in Barca's emphatic Champions League triumph and there should be a couple of changes from that team.

The steady Oriol Romeu could return to the base of midfield, while young Lamine Yamal may replace Raphinha, who shone in the week down the right.

The boss is unlikely to change his backline with Joao Cancelo quickly settling in Catalonia and Ronald Araujo on the sidelines until the October international break. Pedri will also be absent this weekend.

Celta Vigo:

Benitez has experimented with his lineup at the start of his managerial tenure, with the wily old-timer switching to a back three after starting out with a 4-4-2.

The former Newcastle boss has little to worry about on the injury front at the moment, although he's still without midfielder Franco Cervi, who's dealing with a muscle issue. He's expected to return at the start of October.

🗣️ ❝El equipo demuestra solidez y crea ocasiones. Nos estamos acercando a ese equilibrio entre defender bien y atacar bien❞.

Palabras de @rafabenitezweb na rolda de prensa previa ao #BarçaCelta de este sábado. #RCCelta | #LALIGAEASPORTS pic.twitter.com/x3Cg4Yeh0S

— RC Celta (@RCCelta) September 22, 2023

Oscar Mingueza is in contention to start against his former club on Saturday.

Barcelona vs Celta Vigo: Head to Head and Key Stats

Barcelona have a good recent record against Celta Vigo and have won 19 out of the last 42 matches played between the two teams, as opposed to Celta Vigo's 11 victories.

Barcelona have won 10 of their last 13 matches at home against Celta Vigo in La Liga and have scored a total of 35 goals against the Galicians in these matches.

Celta Vigo have won six of their last 20 matches against Barcelona over the past decade – only Real Madrid have defeated the Blaugrana on more occasions during this period.

Barcelona have failed to find the back of the net in only one of their last 54 matches at home against Celta Vigo in La Liga, with their only such result coming in a 1-0 defeat in 2014.

Predicted Line-ups:

Barcelona predicted lineup (4-3-3): Ter Stegen; Cancelo, Kounde, Christensen, Balde; Romeu, De Jong, Gundogan; Yamal, Lewandowski, Felix.

Celta Vigo predicted lineup (3-4-3): Villar; Nunez, Starfelt, Dominguez; Mingueza, Beltran, De la Torre, Ristic; Douvikas, Aspas, Bamba.

FCB vs CV: Fantasy XI

Ter Stegen; Cancelo, Kounde, Mingueza, Beltran, De la Torre, De Jong, Gundogan; Yamal, Lewandowski, Aspas