Celta Vigo vs Valencia

Estadio de Balaidos sets the stage for an exciting La Liga meeting between Celta Vigo and Valencia.

Celta Vigo opened the new season in the same vein they finished the last, coming from behind to beat Deportivo Alaves 2-1 at home and register their first day-one win in nine attempts (D3, L5). On top of that, the hosts have extended their unbeaten league streak to four matches (W3, D1), setting themselves up nicely for this historically troubling match-up. Though they did hold Valencia to a goal-glutted 2-2 draw in this corresponding fixture last term, it only saw them stretch their winless home league run against Los Che to three games (D1, L2). Perhaps it’s time for a change, considering Barcelona were the last team to beat Celta at Balaidos (W5, D2). Equally impressive is the fact they’ve bagged 2+ goals in five home league matches straight in the build-up to this encounter.

On the other hand, Valencia squandered a first-half lead in a morale-wracking 2-1 home loss to Barcelona on the opening weekend, heightening the pressure on manager Ruben Baraja. The visitors take this trip in desperate pursuit of their first La Liga victory since mid-April (D2, L6), with Baraja insisting the ‘better side on the day lost’ last weekend. However, history suggests Los Che could be in for another underwhelming result, as a win against Sevilla in 2023/24 marked their first triumph in their opening away league game of the season since 2011/12 (D5, L6), a run which included two identical 2-1 defeats on this ground. On top of that, Valencia’s travel sickness has seen them pick up just two wins across their last eight La Liga road trips (D1, L5).