Barcelona vs Celta Vigo

Estadio Olímpico forms the backdrop for a lopsided La Liga contest between high-flying Barcelona and out-of-sorts Celta Vigo.

After back-to-back group-stage eliminations from the Champions League for the first time in the 21st century, Barcelona issued a telling statement in this season’s opening game, trouncing debutants Antwerp 5-0 at home. That same scoreline saw the ‘Blaugrana’ overcome Real Betis last weekend, meaning they’ve bagged 5+ goals in consecutive matches for the first time since March 2017. Xavi Hernandez’s frontline, which now features Joao Felix, has excelled since a gut-wrenching 0-0 draw at Getafe on the opening weekend, averaging 3.25 goals per game in four subsequent La Liga wins. Celta’s upcoming visit to Catalonia fuels Barcelona’s effort to maintain a near-impeccable start to 2023/24, considering the reigning Spanish champions have emerged victorious in seven of their last nine top-flight h2Hs on home turf (D1, L1).

On the other hand, Celta Vigo’s hopes of avoiding another scary campaign after only barely securing La Liga survival last term are already in tatters. Barring a goal-glutted 3-2 win at Girona on matchday four, the visitors have gone winless in their remaining four league outings this season (D1, L3), scoring a meager one goal in the process. Each of their three La Liga losses under new manager Rafa Benitez has come ‘to nil,’ which was incidentally the case in their last visit to Barcelona in October 2022 (0-1). But there’s a silver lining for ‘Los Celticos.’ After closing the previous league campaign on a woeful five-game losing streak on the road, Benitez’s men have gone unbeaten on both top-flight travels this term (W1, D1). Both games saw the opening goal come within 25 minutes, highlighting the potential for a quick-fire start.