Who: Celta Vigo vs. Barcelona
What: Spanish LaLiga
Where: Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, Barcelona, Spain
When: Saturday at 4:15pm (14:15 GMT)
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When Celta Vigo hosts Barcelona on Saturday, they will try to increase their lead to seven points.
Real Madrid, the defending champion, is second in the table, but they won’t play until Sunday when they face Athletic Club.
The leaders of the league are not happy with the way their matches are scheduled in the top flight of Spain, which they have been chasing quadruple this year.
What causes Barcelona’s outrage?
Hansi Flick, the coach of Barcelona, demanded to meet with LaLiga officials over the “joke” schedule, alleging that Spanish football was neglecting its players.
After being changed from an afternoon start on May 4, the Catalan giants’ LaLiga game will begin at 9:00 PM (19:00 GMT) at Real Valladolid on May 3.
Even with that change, they still have less than three days to get ready for the crucial Champions League semifinal return match against Inter Milan on May 6.
“I want to see the person who is in charge of that.” It’s a joke, Flick said at a news conference on Friday.
The men who are in charge of that have no time to rest, and I want to talk with them because they have no idea how it is, are unbelievable and have no idea how it is.
What is it that Barcelona can still win this year?
One of the three competitions in which Barcelona are still competing is the Champions League, which Flick is familiar with after a trophy-filled spell at Bayern Munich, which raises issues related to fixture congestion.
The German manager, however, claimed he was speechless as a result of the team’s situation before a significant European game.
“This was the first time I had this.” When a champion league team plays, especially in the semifinals, he said, “every league protects its clubs.”
Bundesliga “take care of the clubs,” according to Premier League. But not here. Simply put, let them play.
In Saudi Arabia, Barcelona defeated fierce rivals Real 5-2 to win the Spanish Super Cup earlier this year.
finish of the photo 📸 pic. twitter.com/o8tr7LO0kq
What does Barcelona’s form book look like?
Barcelona are looking to rebound from their first defeat of 2025 following a 3-1 defeat at Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday in the Champions League quarterfinals, despite being able to advance to the semi-finals 5-3 on aggregate.
In LaLiga, how are Celta Vigo fares?
Flick praised their 37-year-old coach Claudio Giraldez, who came in this year and helped the team that finished its previous three campaigns in the bottom half. Celta Vigo are seventh in the standings, chasing European football.
Flick claimed that he has the highest regard for his work because he has led a great team and that it is unrelated to his age.
“Celta are very brave in their build-up, and they have a clear idea of how they want to play.”
It’s crucial for us to show our strengths, perhaps in addition to what Dortmund showed us. We discussed the circumstances surrounding our meeting in Dortmund, and we must improve tomorrow. They enjoy playing away games as well.
Raphael is to the left. 🇧🇷
Lamine is located to the right. 🇪🇸What a duo on the Barça wings… 💙❤️ pic. twitter.com/8NVBEZL6l2
Head-to-head
The clubs meet for their 58th meeting, with Celta winning 13 and Barcelona winning 28.
In their final three games, Barca have won all three of their matches, with the only other defeat coming in one of the last six.
When did Celta Vigo and Barcelona last meet?
With only six minutes left in normal time, Barca held a 2-0 lead over Celta in their LaLiga match in November.
Barca scored two goals with Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski, but Alfon Gonzalez and Hugo Alvarez scored for Celta, who were awarded a 2-2 draw after Marc Casado was sent off in the 82nd minute.
news from the Barcelona team
Due to injuries, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Marc Casado, Marc Bernal, and Alejandro Balde are all at Barca.
News from the Celta Vigo team
Source: Aljazeera
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