La Liga leaders Barcelona take on European hopefuls Celta Vigo in Catalonia on Saturday afternoon.
Hansi Flick's side were beaten for the first time in 2025 on Tuesday night, but Borussia Dortmund's 3-1 victory in Germany wasn't enough to prevent Barca from reaching the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 2019.
The damage had been done in the first leg, where Barca triumphed 4-0, but there's no denying that they were as poor as they've been in months at Signal Iduna Park.
The hosts can ill-afford to sleepwalk through Saturday's domestic contest against a Celta team that have blossomed into one of La Liga's surprise packages this term. While they recently had an eight-game unbeaten run snapped by Espanyol, Celta have placed themselves to compete for a top-six finish.
The Sky Blues currently sit seventh in the table and are five points adrift of Real Betis with seven games remaining. Barca, meanwhile, can extend their lead at the summit to seven points before Real Madrid take on Athletic Club on Sunday night.
Here is 90min's guide to the upcoming La Liga clash.
What time does Barcelona vs Celta Vigo kick-off?
- Location:Barcelona, Spain
- Stadium:Estadi Olmpic Lluis Companys
- Date:Saturday 19 April
- Kick-off Time:15:15 BST / 10:15 ET / 07:15 PT
- Referee: Mario Melero Lopez
- VAR: Carlos del Cerro Grande
Barcelona vs Celta Vigo head-to-head record (last five games)
- Barcelona:3 wins
- Celta Vigo: 1 win
- Draws: 1
Current form (all competitions)
Barcelona | Celta Vigo |
|---|---|
Borussia Dortmund 3-1 Barcelona - 15/04/25 | Celta Vigo 0-2 Espanyol - 12/04/25 |
Leganes 0-1 Barcelona - 12/04/25 | Mallorca 1-2 Celta Vigo - 05/04/25 |
Barcelona 4-0 Dortmund - 09/04/25 | Celta Vigo 1-1 Las Palmas - 31/03/25 |
Barcelona 1-1 Real Betis - 05/04/25 | Real Valladolid 0-1 Celta Vigo - 15/03/25 |
Atletico Madrid 0-1 Barcelona - 02/04/25 | Celta Vigo 2-1 Leganes - 08/03/25 |
How to watch Barcelona vs Celta Vigo on TV - UK & US
Country | TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
United Kingdom | Premier Sports Player, LaLigaTV |
United States | Paramount+, TUDN.com, Univision NOW, TUDN App, ViX, TUDN USA, Univision |
Canada | TSN+, TSN2 |
Barcelona team news
Alejandro Balde's hamstring injury is a big blow to Barcelona, but there's hope the left-back will be back in time for the start of their Champions League semi-final with Inter. Gerard Martin deputised for the Spanish international on Wednesday and will likely have to continue in the side.
Ronald Araujo struggled in Dortmund and could drop to the bench with Inigo Martinez returning to the starting XI.
Dani Olmo and Pedri should return to Flick's midfield, and the boss will soon have to decide between Wojciech Szczesny and Marc-Andre ter Stegen between the posts. Marc Casado and Marc Bernal are out injured.
Barcelona predicted lineup vs Celta Vigo
Barcelona predicted lineup vs Celta (4-2-3-1): Szczesny; Kounde, Cubarsi, Martinez, Martin; De Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Torres; Lewandowski.
Celta Vigo team news
Celta were harshly beaten by Barca's local rivals Espanyol last weekend, and there's unlikely to be a major alteration in personnel from Claudio Giraldez on Saturday.
Former Barca starlet Ilaix Moriba has played a sporadic role for the visitors this season, but could feature off the bench on Saturday. Iago Aspas is still going strong at 37 and leads the scoring charts for Celta in La Liga with eight strikes.
On the injury front, Giraldez won't be able to call upon Jones El-Abdellaoui and centre-back Carl Starfelt.
Celta Vigo predicted lineup vs Barcelona
Celta predicted lineup vs Barcelona (4-1-4-1): Guaita; Rodriguez, Dominguez, Alonso, Mingueza; Beltran; Carreia, Aspas, Sotelo, Gonzalez; Duran.
Barcelona vs Celta Vigo score prediction
The spoils were shared in the reverse fixture back in November, and Giraldez's side are a potential banana skin for the league leaders. Celta have been far from watchable in recent years, but the new manager, who came in during the backend of last season, has rocked their world.
Barca have shown signs of fatigue as of late, and they will be put to the test by a fresher Celta outfit who are so well-drilled. Their defeat last weekend should be no more than a blip, although they have benefitted from a kind schedule over the past couple of months.
Nevertheless, expected the visitors to run the league leaders close on Saturday. Barca may have to find an extra gear to prevail.
Prediction: Barcelona 2-1 Celta Vigo
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