La Liga: Barca’s Treble Bid Continues with Celta Vigo Up Next

Barcelona vs Celta Vigo

Hansi Flick’s Barcelona continue their 2025 La Liga title campaign with a tasty clash on Saturday, at home to Claudio Giraldez’s Celta Vigo, who are pushing for European qualification, currently in seventh.     

At SBOTOP odds of 1.30 the Blaugrana are hot favourites to win this match and, if they do, they will at least maintain their four point lead at the top of the La Liga table, with just six games to play. Barca also have the advantage of playing before Real Madrid, who host Athletic Club on Sunday, and that game will look all the more difficult for Real if they kick-off with a seven point gap to close. Atletico Madrid aren’t entirely out of the race, but back-to-back defeats in March have left Los Rojiblancos seven points off the pace. 

Last week the Blaugrana edged to a 1-0 win away to Leganes while Celta Vigo suffered a 2-0 defeat at home to Espanyol and Flick’s men were in action again on Tuesday, losing a Champions League second leg to Borussia Dortmund, but the tie was already over after Barca destroyed BVB in the home leg, taking a 4-0 lead.

As well as a Champions League semi-final to look forward to, the Blaugrana are in the Copa del Rey final, another El Clasico clash and, as well as being favourites to win their cup exploits, the La Liga 2025 betting odds make Flick’s team favourites to pick off the Primera Division title.

 

Talking Points

Pedri and Martinez to return for Barcelona

Barca were way below their best when they met BVB on Tuesday. Serhou Guirassy helped himself to a hat-trick as the Bundesliga side won 3-1 on the night to pull the aggregate score back to 5-3. And while Flick will be disappointed with the outcome, he did make some changes to the starting line-up, resting midfielder Pedri and centre back Inigo Martinez, while also pulling off Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal in the second half.

Flick will be concerned how his defence was pulled apart by Guirassy and, with first choice left back Alex Balde injured he may have to rely on Gerard Martin, who was anything but convincing against Dortmund. Centre back Ronald Araujo also had a torrid time and the return of Martinez will certainly shore things up in defence.

The Blaugrana attack, led by Robert Lewandowski who has scored a whopping 25 goals this season, has delivered spectacular results with Yamal and Raphinha terrorizing full backs throughout the league. But you can’t overstate the influence of Pedri who, since coming back from a long term injury, has emerged as one of the best creative midfielders on the planet and he’ll be pulling the strings again on Saturday.          

Celta will take encouragement from the way Barca were frustrated by Europe basing Real Betis two weeks ago; but they will have to be at their very best to escape Catalonia with a result.   

 

Starfelt out for Vigo

Celta need all the good news they can get before they head off to Barcelona but Los Celestes suffered a blow this week with the news that star centre back Carl Sarfelt will be sidelined after he picked up an injury in the 2-0 loss to Espanyol last week. The 29 year old Sweden international has been a key component of Vigo’s successful campaign and has been one of the first names on the team sheet since his arrival from Glasgow Celtic in 2023.    

He will have plenty of work to do to set up a defence which can thwart Barcelona without Sarfelt, but Giraldez likes his teams to play attractive football on the front foot, and the club’s La Liga 2025 results have backed him up as Los Celestes have worked their way into Euro contention. Veteran striker Iago Aspas is top scoring with eight goals while Spain international Oscar Mingueza has produced six assists from right wingback, providing the winner when Celta beat Real Mallorca two weeks ago.    

 

History

The Blaugrana have had the better of the head to head meetings with Celta, winning 27 of the last 53 encounters while Celta have picked up 11 victories. When the two teams met in Vigo back in November they played out a 2-2 draw.  

With four wins, one draw and one defeat Barca have slightly better form that Celta who have three wins, two draws and one defeat, but it’s important to remember Barcelona’s loss came in the Champions League, in a relatively meaningless tie.  

 

Betting Tip

Celta Vigo are at 5.12 to draw and 6.47 to win this match, with the double chance at 3.11; but it’s difficult to see past a Barcelona win and the question, for me, is the margin of victory.

I expect the Blaugrana to win by two clear goals and, for a correct score line I’d go for either 2-0 at a price of 8.48, or 3-1 at 9.44.

   

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