Preview: Celta Vigo vs. Espanyol - prediction, team news, lineups

Espanyol will be looking to make it three straight wins in all competitions when they continue their La Liga campaign away to Celta Vigo on Friday night.

The Catalan outfit are currently ninth in the table, having picked up 23 points from their opening 17 matches, while Celta occupy 14th, collecting 17 points from their first 17 games of 2021-22.

Match preview

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Celta finished eighth in La Liga last season but have found it difficult to show consistency in the opening months of the 2021-22 campaign, winning four, drawing five and losing eight of their 17 matches to collect 17 points, which has left them down in 14th spot in the table.

The Sky Blues have only actually lost one of their last six in the league but have been victorious on just one occasion in the same period, with the win in question coming at Alaves at the end of November.

Celta have since lost to Valencia and drawn with Mallorca in Spain's top flight, but they will enter this match off the back of a 2-1 victory over FC Andorra in the Copa del Rey on Tuesday night.

Eduardo Coudet's side will be desperate to put three points on the board ahead of the winter break in Spain, and they are only five points off the top half at this stage.

Each of the last five La Liga meetings between Celta and Espanyol have finished level, though, including a 1-1 draw in the corresponding fixture during the 2020-21 campaign.

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Espanyol, meanwhile, currently sit ninth in La Liga on 23 points, boasting a record of six wins, five draws and six defeats from their opening 17 matches of the campaign.

The Catalan outfit are on an impressive run of form in all competitions, winning four of their last five matches, including a 2-1 victory over Cristo Atletico in the Copa del Rey on Tuesday.

Espanyol were also involved in a seven-goal thriller with Levante in the league last weekend, with Javi Puado's second-half double proving enough for Vicente Moreno's side to secure all three points.

The White and Blues were promoted back to this level by winning the Segunda Division last season, but the early indications are that they will not have any relegation fears this season.

Indeed, Espanyol are only actually five points off fourth-placed Atletico Madrid at this stage of the campaign and would move above Barcelona in the table with a victory on Friday night.

Team News

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Celta are still sweating on the fitness of Iago Aspas, with the attacker unlikely to start due to a recent groin problem, with Thiago Galhardo potentially featuring in the final third of the field.

Hugo Mallo and Augusto Solari remain doubts, but Santi Mina is available despite concerns over the issue that he picked up the first half of the league clash with Mallorca.

Indeed, Mina scored the late winner against Andorra in the Copa del Rey on Tuesday, but there will be wholesale changes from that contest, with Brais Mendez, Fran Beltran and Javier Galan among those returning.

As for Espanyol, David Lopez and Oscar Gil will miss the match through injury, but the visitors are otherwise in good shape heading into the contest.

Raul de Tomas has been in impressive form this season, finding the back of the net on eight occasions in the league, and the Spain international will again feature at the tip of the attack.

There will be wholesale changes from the side that started in the Copa del Rey, with Puado, Sergi Darder, Aleix Vidal and Sergi Gomez among those expected to feature in the XI.

Celta Vigo possible starting lineup:
Dituro; Vazquez, Aidoo, Araujo, Galan; Beltran; Mendez, Suarez, Cervi; Galhardo, Mina

Espanyol possible starting lineup:
D Lopez; Vidal, Gomez, Cabrera, Pedrosa; Herrera, Bare; Embarba, Darder, Puado; De Tomas

We say: Celta Vigo 1-1 Espanyol

Celta have not been at their best for much of the season, but they are still more than capable of picking up a positive result in this match. Espanyol's confidence will be high, but draws have been incredibly frequent between these two teams in recent history, and we can see the two sides sharing the spoils here.

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