Following FC Barcelona’s victory over Valladolid on Saturday night, Real Madrid faces Celta Vigo on Sunday at the Santiago Bernabéu, knowing that the pressure remains on the Whites, especially if they want to keep their slim chances of winning the LaLiga title alive.
Real Madrid faces a must-win game against Celta: it cannot afford to drop any more points
Real Madrid do so after facing Getafe and Athletic, while Celta played their last league games against Villarreal and FC Barcelona. After the match against Celta, Real Madrid will face FC Barcelona in El Clásico, a match that could ultimately decide the championship. After that, they will play for their lives (if they still have any) against Mallorca, Sevilla, and Real Sociedad.
Of course, Carlo Ancelotti‘s side cannot afford to drop any points until the end of the season. The Whites, second in the standings, are seven points behind the Azulgranas going into this match. Their only remaining objective is to win LaLiga to avoid ending the season without any titles.
In the national championship, Real Madrid has won three games in a row, all by the narrowest of margins. The last match was against Getafe, in a game full of rotations ahead of the Copa del Rey final the following Saturday. Arda Güler scored the only goal of the game in the 21st minute, although the Azulones came close to equalizing after a poor second half from the Whites.
Celta, meanwhile, also has no margin for error. The Galicians, who are seventh in the table, want to stay in European positions. They are currently just two points behind Osasuna and Mallorca. Claudio Giráldez’s side’s last game was against Villarreal. Celta secured a convincing 3-0 victory. However, they are going through an inconsistent run, having won only two of their last five games.
For this match, although Ancelotti has a few players out, such as the injured and suspended Rüdiger and the recently injured Alaba, everything points to Ancelotti having to make changes again. Here, Raúl Asencio and Tchouaméni will form the center-back pairing due to the absences in defense, with Fran García the only player available at left-back. In the center, Luka Modrić and Dani Ceballos are vying for a place in midfield, while Arda Güler could be the surprise in the starting eleven, taking Rodrygo’s place in the inside forward role.
As for Celta, the Galicians will face Real Madrid at the Bernabéu with Javi Rodríguez and Sergio Carreira returning to defense to strengthen the back line. In the double pivot, the usual doubts persist, with four players competing for two spots. In attack, there is only one spot available to accompany Alfon González and Borja Iglesias.
Confirmed absences
As mentioned, the Madrid coach faces the match against Celta Vigo with some important absences. Rüdiger will not be available due to injury and will serve the first of a six-match ban imposed after his outburst in the Cup final.
David Alaba, Ferland Mendy, Eduardo Camavinga, Éder Militao, and Dani Carvajal are also ruled out due to injury, although they will not be available for the rest of the season. The latter two are still recovering from the serious injuries they suffered at the start of the season. Both are on the right track and could be fit for the Club World Cup, but they will not be available for the final few league games. Vinicius and Mbappé are also being monitored, as they are not 100% fit for this LaLiga matchday 34 fixture.
Real Madrid line-up
Goalkeeper: Courtois
Defenders: Lucas Vázquez, Tchouaméni, Raúl Asencio, Fran García
Midfielders: Valverde, Ceballos, Arda Güler, Bellingham
Forwards: Vinicius, Mbappé