Celta Vigo will be back in action at Estadio de Balaídos this upcoming Saturday when they are set to take on Girona in the 7th round of the new La Liga season. The hosts are hoping to return to winning ways following two defeats against Athletic Bilbao and Atletico Madrid, the latest of which saw them fall victim to a late 1-0 goal. However, the two defeats came competitively and they will be hoping to make the most of Girona’s poor form. The visitors dropped results in their last two outings against Barcelona and Valencia. Their only point came in the first of these mentioned matches and they will have a very tough task on their hands as they search for their second result of the season.

Match Detail

• Date: 29th September 2024
• Time: 5:30 pm IST
• Venue: Estadio de Balaídos, Vigo, Spain

Pitch Report

The Estadio de Balaídos ground is maintained with well-trimmed lush green grass and is suitable for a balanced way of playing soccer. The ground surface allows smooth movement of the ball, thereby giving added advantage to teams playing passing soccer. On the other hand, the ground surface poses challenges for the visiting teams as they are not used to playing on these types of grounds.

Points Table

Team A: Celta Vigo – Analysis

Celta Vigo has had difficulties winning in their recent games, but their performances throughout have been highly competitive. While his team’s defence can put up with a lot of pressure, they have had difficulties avoiding goals towards the end of the game. Celta Vigo will regroup and use the fact that Girona is not very good on the road to get three points.

• Key Player: Iago Aspas – The long-time Celta Vigo striker is instrumental to his team, both scoring and assisting.
• Probable Playing XI:
  • GK: Iván Villar
  • DF: Kevin Vázquez, Joseph Aidoo, Unai Núñez, Carlos Domínguez
  • MF: Fran Beltrán, Jonathan Bamba, Gabri Veiga
  • FW: Iago Aspas, Jorgen Strand Larsen, Carles Pérez

Team B: Girona – Analysis

Girona has not had a good season so far – they have shown glimpses of quality but have struggled to put together a series of strong performances, and their troubles have been multiplied away from their stadium. Their defence has been weak this season, and they have had problems against better opposition.

• Key Player: Cristhian Stuani – The experienced Uruguayan striker has been vital to Girona in his time at the club, scoring vital goals with clinical precision.
• Probable Playing XI:
  • GK: Paulo Gazzaniga
  • DF: Arnau Martínez, David López, Juanpe, Javi Hernández
  • MF: Yangel Herrera, Aleix Garcia, Borja García
  • FW: Viktor Tsygankov, Cristhian Stuani, Yan Couto

Dream11 Pick

• Captain: Iago Aspas (Celta Vigo)
• Vice-Captain: Cristhian Stuani (Girona)
• Other Key Picks: Jonathan Bamba (Celta), Aleix Garcia (Girona), Jorgen Strand Larsen (Celta), Viktor Tsygankov (Girona)

Public Opinion

Opinions are divided on the likely outcome of the Celta Vigo vs Girona showdown. The fans of Celta Vigo are rather optimistic mainly because of their team’s home advantage being beneficial at the Estadio de Balaídos. Despite the recent losing streak, many would agree that they have shown some improvement since losing to Atletico Madrid a few weeks ago. At the same time, the fans of Girona witness their team becoming rather inconsistent, especially during the away matches, where their form is in free fall. Moreover, Garcia Jastin and Ricard Artero being benched only add to their woes. Therefore, public opinion slightly leans toward Celta Vigo taking home the win precisely because of Girona’s poor travelling track records, as well as their weak spots being accessible to the home team.

SWOT Analysis

Celta Vigo

• Strengths: The primary one to consider is the attacking line-up as Celta often relies on Iago Aspas; the veteran is capable of performing in the toughest moments. Other relative benefits include midfield control, and meanwhile, Jonathan Bamba’s proficiency showcases some handling, too. The support of the fans on Estadio de Balaídos home ground has always worked for the team as well. Additionally, the defensive line has shown some resilience against top teams despite some clear mistakes, meaning that against Girona, it is likely to remain a strength and keep Celta’s chances of staying close on the scoresheet.
• Weaknesses: There have been persistent concerns, especially relative to failures in the central defence, resulting in late goals. Moreover, the weaknesses of a relative nature include injuries to Oscar Mingueza and Luca de la Torre, who wound up against Girona, limiting Benítez’s effectiveness in implementing tactical modifications to boost Celta’s chances. There is an overall issue of inconsistency in the team’s performances as well.
• Opportunities: Girona tends to perform badly on away matches, leaving a clear opportunity for Celta to take advantage of the deficiencies in the defense of the visiting team and win the match with some real potential for attack moving forward.
• Threats: The main one is persistent defensive mistakes alongside weaknesses against the particular style presented by Girona and its experienced attacking players, notably Cristhian Stuani.

Girona

• Strengths: It is evident that Girona’s strength is mainly based on their attack. Stuani, a longtime striker, uses his experience of past times and positioning. Girona’s midfield with Aleix Garcia has been showing creative times, dangerous attacks, and, most importantly, has been controlling the stream of time. Despite the recent problems, it can be argued that Girona often shows tactical flexibility which allows playing differently and adding aggressiveness during the game.
• Weaknesses: Girona’s constant disadvantage is inconsistency much of which has been visible during many previous examples, especially in away matches. The performance of the defence has been weak by constant errors. It should also be pointed out that the injuries of Garcia Jastin and Ricard Artero minimize the number of subs.
• Opportunities: Since Celta remains to display an unsatisfying defence, Girona may focus on quick counterattacks. Furthermore, Stuani’s main strength is his ability to play with his head, so if the Celta defence begins to concede, another potential opportunity will be attacks that can be conducted as a result of the ball’s rebound after shows and strikes.
• Threats: The main threat is the continuing inability of Girona to show a good game away. This may result in subsequent losses.. Taking into account that the away match will be played in Estadio de Balaídos, the hosts are highly likely to return after the last unsuccessful game and the game. If the Gironases play it passively, they can expect the earned balls.

Prediction

Celta Vigo probably will take the edge in this match since the team is playing at home in Estadio de Balaídos and Girona is not very successful away. Though having no successes in the last games, the team demonstrated good performance and will try to take advantage of Girona’s problems in the defensive. With an inconsistent record away from home and the absence of several key players from the squad, the opportunities of Celta to control the ball and create more chances are quite high. At the same time, Cristhian Stuani still may be dangerous, but the Celta’s central line and home fans may help this team to win with a small result. It is predicted 2-1 for Celta.