Villarreal vs Celta Vigo Preview: Team News & Prediction
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Villarreal are in a very peculiar position as the Yellow Submarine welcome a collapsing Celta Vigo side to Estadio de la Ceramica by Castellon on Sunday night.
Kick-off date/time:
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Villarreal preview: Bizarre feeling
For the first time in their history, Villarreal are set to earn successive UEFA Champions League qualifications. The hosts begin the match day sitting comfortably third in the table, too, and yet supporters have grown frustrated with Marcelino’s style of play.
They do come into this one on the back of a good example of their limitations as they shared a 1-1 draw with bottom-of-the-table Real Oviedo in Asturias with Nicolas Pepe’s opener cancelled by Ilyas Chaira mid-way through the second-half.
Celta Vigo preview: Frustrated Celta
Up until March, Celta Vigo had been brilliant under the management of former B team coach Claudio Giraldez. However, the Galicians have struggled quite badly of late and it is really holding them back.
In the hunt for a top five spot, which could yet still be enough for UEFA Champions League qualification, Celta are falling away with a 1-0 loss to Barcelona in midweek meaning that they have won just one of their last six matches in La Liga.
Villarreal team news: Fresh doubt
Frustratingly for the hosts, versatile Uruguay international defender Santiago Mourino is a doubt for this one, with Juan Foyth remaining sidelined and Logan Costa working his way back after a lengthy layoff.
Predicted XI (4-4-2): Arnau Tenas; Kambwala, Pau Nvaarro, Veiga, Sergi Cardona; Buchanan, Dani Parejo, Gueye, Alfon; Pepe, Oluwaseyi
Unavailable: Foyth (Injured), Pau Cabanes (Injured)
Questionable: Costa (Injured), Santiago Mourino (Injured)
Celta Vigo team news: Defensive doubts
Celta are dealing with a couple of defensive injury doubts for this one as former Celtic centre-back Carl Starfelt is potentially sidelined alongside Carlos Dominguez.
Predicted XI (3-4-3): Radu; Javi Rodriguez, Lago, Marcos Alonso; Javi Rueda, Fer Lopez, Ilaix Moriba, Sergio Carreira; Pablo Duran, Ferran Jutgla, Hugo Alvarez
Unavailable: Miguel Roman (Injured)
Questionable: Carlos Dominguez (Injured), Starfelt (Injured)
Villarreal vs Celta Vigo prediction
That poorly timed dip in form for Celta has also coincided with their elimination at the hands of Freiburg in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League in emphatic fashion. They did, though, show signs of improvement in their defeat to Barca at Camp Nou the other day. Villarreal may well try to play with a bit more freedom in these final few games of the season with a top three finish close to wrapped up, too, and so both teams scoring seems a good bet for this one at El Madrigal.
Villarreal vs Celta Vigo tip: Both teams to score
