Real Madrid will be bidding to remain in the La Liga title race when they resume their campaign with a home fixture against a talented Celta Vigo outfit on Sunday afternoon.
Carlo Ancelotti's side are second in the La Liga table, four points behind the leaders Barcelona, while Celta sit seventh, with the Sky Blues battling to secure European football for the 2025-26 campaign.
Match preview
© Imago
The gap to leaders Barcelona is currently four points with five games left, but with Hansi Flick's side fully expected to beat basement side Real Valladolid on Saturday, there is every chance that Real Madrid could be seven points off the summit by the time that they take to the field.
Anything less than three points would surely end the title argument, but a victory would leave Real Madrid in a solid position ahead of what is shaping up to be a gigantic contest between the top two in Spain on May 11.
There is no getting away from the fact that it has been a tough period of the season for Ancelotti's side, being thumped by Arsenal in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, before losing 3-2 to Barcelona in last weekend's Copa del Rey final.
Real Madrid have won each of their last three league games 1-0, though, and they must now put another three points on the board against a Celta side that have European ambitions in the latter stages of the campaign.
Los Blancos are actually on a nine-game winning run against Celta in La Liga, including a 2-1 success in Vigo earlier this season, while they beat the Sky Blues 5-2 at Bernabeu in the last-16 stage of the Copa del Rey back in January.
© Imago
Celta have not beaten Real Madrid in La Liga since May 2014, while they have not been victorious at Bernabeu in Spain's top flight for almost 20 years, demonstrating the size of their task in this weekend's contest.
That said, Claudio Giraldez's side will enter this match off the back of an excellent 3-0 home success over Champions League-chasing Villarreal, with the result leaving them in seventh position in the table on 46 points.
Celta, as it stands, are qualifying for next season's Europa League league stage, which would be a major achievement, but they are only two points ahead of ninth-placed Mallorca, so there is still a lot of work to do.
The Sky Blues suffered a 4-3 loss to Barcelona in their last away fixture on April 19, and there is no getting away from the fact that it has been a real struggle for them on their travels this term, picking up only 13 points from 16 matches.
Celta actually have the fifth-best home record in La Liga this term, winning 10 of their 17 matches, and they will be relying on their form in front of their own fans to potentially secure European football for the 2025-26 campaign.
Team News
© Imago
Real Madrid remain without Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao for the rest of the season due to long-term knee injuries, while Ferland Mendy, David Alaba and Antonio Rudiger have also seen their campaigns come to an end due to injury issues.
Eduardo Camavinga is also out with an adductor problem, but Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe are fit despite recent concerns, while Jude Bellingham and Lucas Vazquez are available despite their red cards against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final.
Indeed, Bellingham's red card has been revoked, while Vazquez will serve his two-game suspension in next season's Copa del Rey.
Aurelien Tchouameni is set to be required in the middle of the defence alongside Raul Asencio, with Fran Garcia and Vazquez in the full-back areas, while Rodrygo may drop out of the starting side amid the recent speculation surrounding his future.
As for Celta, Carl Starfelt remains on the sidelines with a hamstring problem, while Jones El-Abdellaoui is once again a doubt with a thigh issue, but the visitors are otherwise in excellent shape for the contest.
Head coach Giraldez could make just the one change to the side that took to the field for the first whistle against Villarreal, with Ilaix Moriba potentially being introduced in midfield ahead of Fran Beltran.
Iago Aspas scored a late penalty against Villarreal, but the experienced forward is again expected to find himself on the bench here, with Alfon Gonzalez and Fer Lopez set to join Borja Iglesias in the final third of the field.
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Courtois; Vazquez, Asencio, Tchouameni, F Garcia; Valverde, Ceballos, Modric; Bellingham; Vinicius, Mbappe
Celta Vigo possible starting lineup:
Guaita; Lago, Dominguez, Alonso; Alvarez, Rodriguez, Moriba, Mingueza; F Lopez, Iglesias, Gonzalez
We say: Real Madrid 2-1 Celta Vigo
This is a massive game for Real Madrid, and they will be missing a whole host of important players, which will certainly hand Celta confidence. The Sky Blues have struggled away from home this season, though, and their recent record against Real Madrid is poor, so we are expecting Ancelotti's side to navigate their way to all three points.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
