Barcelona Face Crucial Test at Celta Vigo: Team News, Bold Predictions and Starting XI Revealed

Barcelona seeks to enter the November international break with momentum, aiming to secure back-to-back La Liga victories for the first time in more than a month as they travel to face Celta Vigo on Sunday evening.

A catastrophic defensive display led Barcelona to accept a 3–3 stalemate with Club Brugge in Champions League action in their previous outing. This showing extended a concerning defensive pattern for the Catalan club, which has produced a three-match winless run on the road.

Hansi Flick's squad urgently needs to halt that poor away form, otherwise Real Madrid might increase their advantage at the summit of the La Liga table.

Celta Vigo won't provide an easy challenge. Following a sluggish beginning to the season, Claudio Giráldez's team remains undefeated since late September and has secured five consecutive victories in all tournaments.

The Catalans have triumphed only twice during their previous 10 visits to Celta in La Liga. Nevertheless, anything short of victory on Sunday would be viewed as disappointing.

Here is Sports Illustrated's preview of the match.

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Celta Vigo vs. Barcelona Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Games)

Current Form (All Competitions)

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Celta Vigo Team News

Celta has secured five straight wins across all competitions and aims to maintain this positive streak against the La Liga titleholders.

An injury to first-choice keeper Ionuț Andrei Radu means Iván Villar will take his place in goal. Hugo Álvarez and Javi Rueda are among other key players who will be sidelined due to injuries.

Giráldez will probably field three ex-Barcelona players, with Marcos Alonso, Oscar Mingueza and Ilaix Moriba all set to feature against their previous team.

In attack, Bryan Zaragoza, Borja Iglesias and Ferrán Jutglà will spearhead the offensive line.

Celta Vigo Predicted Lineup vs. Barcelona

Celta Vigo predicted lineup vs. Barcelona (3-4-3): Villar; Rodríguez, Starfelt, Alonso; Mingueza, Beltrán, Moriba, Carreira; Jutglà, Iglesias, Zaragoza

Barcelona Team News

Barcelona's fitness problems persist, with Eric García sustaining a nasal fracture during their Champions League encounter with Club Brugge, putting his participation against Celta in doubt.

Pau Cubarsí might return to the starting eleven after being dropped for Barcelona's two latest matches. The same cannot be said for goalkeeper Joan García, who has resumed training with the squad but remains too early for match involvement.

Having completely recovered from injury, Dani Olmo and Robert Lewandowski might start together for the first time in more than a month.

Barcelona Predicted Lineup vs. Celta Vigo

Barcelona predicted lineup vs. Celta Vigo (4-2-3-1): Szczęsny; Koundé, Araújo, Cubarsí, Balde; De Jong, Olmo; Yamal, López, Rashford; Lewandowski.

Celta Vigo vs. Barcelona Score Prediction

Barcelona's defensive struggles have dominated the narrative surrounding the team during the past month and against Celta, their vulnerable defense might face further punishment.

The home side will probably adopt the same strategy Brugge used to score three goals past Szczęsny on Wednesday, compelling Barcelona to outscore their opponents if they want to leave Balaídos with a favorable outcome.

However, Barcelona's offense appeared smooth in their last outing thanks to Lamine Yamal's finest display of the campaign. The young star will spearhead a potent attacking display to help compensate for his team's defensive weaknesses.

Yamal and López might well maintain their excellent form and Lewandowski could even score as Barcelona strive to claim victory.

Prediction: Celta Vigo 2–3 Barcelona