Barcelona take on Celta Vigo in the Spanish Copa del Rey this week, with the La Liga leaders looking to take advantage of their home advantage on Thursday night. The duo played out a narrow draw in the first leg, meaning that the clash is finely balanced as the duo head to the Camp Nou.
Spanish Copa del Rey – Barcelona v Celta Vigo – Camp Nou, Barcelona – Thursday 11th January – 20:30 UK Time
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Draw Best Odd of: 13/2 at Unibet |
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FC Barcelona
Celta VigoMatch Preview
La Liga leaders Barcelona are looking to make it through to the quarter finals of the Copa del Rey this week when they welcome Celta Vigo to the Camp Nou for their second leg tie. With little separating the duo in Vigo last week, many are predicting another close encounter this time around, despite the home side being the undoubted favourites. Managers Ernesto Valverde and Juan Carlos Unzué will both be looking to claim the tactical advantage ahead of kick-off, with the duo likely to use their playing squads to the full once more. For those still unsure of who to back, be sure to check out our top betting tip below. However, let’s first take a closer look at the two teams, starting with Barcelona.
Barcelona Team News & Form
Barcelona won comfortably against Levante in La Liga over the weekend, helping to ensure that they maintained their nine point lead at the top of the standings. Ousmane Dembele is likely to continue his comeback from injury for the hosts, however new signing Philippe Coutinho is unavailable to make his debut as a result of injury. The likes of Andre Gomes, Denis Suarez and Nelson Semedo are set to start having featured in the first leg, while youngster Jose Arnaiz could earn another start having scored the early goal against Celta last week. The likes of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez could be named on the bench as an insurance policy.
Celta Vigo Team News & Form
Celta Vigo scored a late goal to secure a hard-fought point against reigning La Liga champions Real Madrid at the weekend, a result which leaves them 15th in the standings. Spanish international Iaga Aspas and Maxi Gomez are among the biggest goalscoring threats for the visitors, who must score at the Camp Nou if they are to have any chance of progressing to the next stage of the competition.
Head to Head
The two teams have met 17 times in the past, with Barcelona having won 10 of such meetings, as well as recording three draws. However, Celta Vigo recorded a 2-2 draw at the Camp Nou back in December, which will give the visitors hope of pulling off a shock on Thursday evening.
Barcelona v Celta Vigo – Betting Odds and Predictions
Given their position in the La Liga standings as well as their status as the home team, it comes as little surprise that Barcelona are the firm favourites for victory with the majority of bookmakers. The home side can be backed at odds of 1/5 at Ladbrokes, while those looking to bet on an away win for Celta Vigo can take advantage of 11/1 odds from Skybet.
Top Betting Tip Barcelona v Celta Vigo
However, our top betting tip for the match is to bet on there being over 2.5 goals during the 90 minutes, which is available at odds of 2/7 with PaddyPower.