Celta Vigo v Real Madrid
Saturday 17th August 1600hrs
Football – Spain– La Liga
Pick Dundalk to win to nil
Bookmaker Betfred
Odds: 4/6 (odds taken 20.00 GMT, Friday 16 August)
 |
1 | X | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15/4 | 16/5 | 18/25 |
* (Betting Odds were taken from 22Bet on August 16, 2019 at 20.00)
Both Celta Vigo and Real Madrid endured extremely disappointing seasons last time around and will be looking for a fast start when they clash on Saturday evening.
Celta Vigo Preview – Can Celta put last season’s relegation worries behind them and start with a bang?
It’s a new season and Celta will look to bounce back from what was a terrible campaign last season. Celta finished fourth bottom and were threatened with relegation for much of the season. The speculative appointment of Antonio Mohamed never worked out and the Argentinian was sacked just a few months after taking over. Miguel Cardoso was the man tasked with leading the club to safety but he too was relieved of his duties before the season’s end. Fran Escriba took over the for the last three months of the season and the former Villareal and Getafe manager managed to keep Celta in the top division. Escriba done enough to remain in charge and he will be looking for a much more productive campaign.
The big summer signing in Vigo has been the return to the club of Santi Mina. The striker was a product of Celta’s academy and earned a big move to Valencia. He will have to wait to make his second debut, though, missing this one with injury. When Mina does return it looks set to be a lethal partnership he forms with Iago Aspas. The Spanish internationalist was the only bright spark about last season for Celta, hitting 20 league goals for the second year running. Aspas scored four goals in his final three matches of last season and will be looking to start quickly here.
Real Madrid Preview – Are Real set for a more productive campaign in 2019/20?
The Julen Lopetegui experiment never worked for Real Madrid and it triggered a quick return to the Bernabeu for Zinedine Zidane. The Frenchman had left the club at the end of the 2017/18 season after leading Real to their third straight Champions League feeling the required investment in the team was not forthcoming. In the end it was a season that finished without a trophy and a third place finish behind rivals Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. In short, it was simply nowhere near good enough for Real. Zidane clearly returned to the club with assurances that he would have the funds to bring in some new players and they have arrived en masse.
Eden Hazard heads the new arrivals but he too will have to wait to make his competitive debut having picked up an injury in training this week. He was likely going to be the only guaranteed start but other notable additions include Ferland Mendy from Lyon, Luka Jovic from Eintracht Frankfurt and Eder Militao. The trio are all full of potential but they may have to bid their time for a regular place in the team. That too applies to Gareth Bale who has been the subject of a move away all summer but remains at the club.
Key-Facts – Celta Vigo v Real Madrid
- Celta went through three managers last season and only just survived – they will be hoping for much better in 2019/20
- Real Madrid had an equally disappointing season last time around and have spent huge sums of money to turn that around
- Celta have a poor recent record against Real in La Liga with their last victory coming all the way back in 2014
Celta Vigo v Real Madrid Betting Advice
There’s nothing like a new season to restore optimism and hope for supporters and both Celta and Real’s fans are looking to the new campaign to bring much more enjoyment and success. Escriba and Zidane have had a summer to pull together squads in their vision and this will be the first indication of how that is going. Somewhat strangely, despite spending fortunes in the summer, the visitors could well line up with no new signings in their starting eleven. That will give some of the established players a chance to stake their claim and restore some credibility after last season.
This is a fixture that is kind to Real which makes it an attractive proposition for the opening La Liga game of the season. Zidane’s team have won 10 of the last 11 league meetings with Celta. I’m taking on them to make that 11 in 12 and start this season with a bang.
