Celta Vigo will be bidding to extend their unbeaten run of form to five matches when they welcome Granada to the Estadio Municipal de Balaidos on Saturday afternoon.
The home side are currently 18th in the table, boasting 10 points from their first 16 matches of the season, while Granada are 19th, picking up just eight points from their opening 16 games of 2023-24.
Match preview
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Celta stretched their unbeaten run to four matches when they drew 0-0 with Rayo Vallecano in La Liga on Monday night, and Rafael Benitez's side have now shared the points in each of their last three league matches.
It is actually four draws in five for the Vigo outfit in the league, with their only loss during that run proving to be a 4-3 defeat at Athletic Bilbao before the November international break, while they recorded a 2-1 win over Sestao River in the Copa del Rey on December 7.
The Sky Blues have still only won once in the league this season, though, with a total of 10 points from 16 matches leaving them in 18th position in the table.
Goals have been a problem for Benitez's team this term, only managing 15 in Spain's top flight, with Iago Aspas netting just once in 16 appearances, but Jorgen Strand Larsen has come up with five La Liga goals, and the Sky Blues desperately need him to hit double figures this term.
Celta have finished eighth, 11th and 13th in their last three campaigns at this level, but they were 17th in back-to-back seasons before that, so it is not a total shock to see them inside the relegation zone.
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Granada have also only won once in the league this season, with a total of eight points from 16 matches leaving them in 19th position in the table, two points behind their opponents in this match.
The Andalusian outfit are the reigning Segunda Division champions, and they finished seventh and ninth in La Liga in 2019-20 and 2020-21 respectively, so the team have previous when it comes to pushing up the division.
Alexander Medina replaced Paco Lopez as head coach of Granada at the end of November, and he has taken charge of two matches, suffering a 2-0 loss to Real Madrid on December 2 before drawing 1-1 with Athletic Bilbao on Monday night.
Inaki Williams made the breakthrough in the clash at Estadio Nuevo Los Carmenes, before an own goal from Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta levelled the scores, with the fixture starting on Sunday and then finishing on Monday due to the tragic death of a supporter in the stands, and while it was a welcome result, Granada have not managed to triumph in the league since the end of August against Mallorca.
Granada have not overcome Celta in La Liga since September 2019, while they suffered a 1-0 defeat in the corresponding match during the 2021-22 campaign.
Team News
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Celta will again be without Joseph Aidoo due to a long-term knee problem, but the Sky Blues are otherwise in strong shape for this weekend's contest.
Head coach Benitez will have been pleased with the team's performance against Rayo last time out, so it could be a case of same again in terms of the lineup here.
Larsen is a certain starter in the final third, with the choice then between Aspas and Tasos Douvikas for the other position, and the latter could again get the nod, having scored four times in all competitions this season.
Granada remain without the services of Raul Fernandez due to a muscular problem, while on-loan centre-back Jesus Vallejo is also set to miss out once again with a hamstring issue.
The visitors did not suffer any fresh fitness problems against Athletic, though, and it would not be a surprise to see the same XI take to the field for this contest.
Bryan Zaragoza is joining Bayern Munich next summer, but he remains a vital player for Granada, with the Spaniard again set to feature in an attack which will also include Lucas Boye and Myrto Uzuni.
Celta Vigo possible starting lineup:
Guaita; Vazquez, Starfelt, U Nunez, M Sanchez; Mingueza, Tapia, De la Torre, Bamba; Douvikas, Larsen
Granada possible starting lineup:
Ferreira; Sanchez, Miquel, Torrente, Neva; Gumbau, Ruiz; Uzuni, Villar, Zaragoza; Boye
We say: Celta Vigo 2-1 Granada
This is a huge match at the bottom of the table, and it will be fascinating to see what develops this weekend. It would have been easy to pick another draw here, but we just have a feeling that Celta will be able to navigate their way to what would be a huge three points in front of their own supporters.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Matt Law
