Celta Vigo will be hoping to make amends for the heavy defeat at El Madrigal when they host Athletic Bilbao, but defeating their in-form opponents will be no easy task. Los Leones proved their worth by beating leaders Real Madrid last time out and they arrive at Balaidos brimming with confidence.

Top scorers misfiring

Finishing the second successive campaign in the top half of the standings would certainly be considered a success for Celta, but everybody at the club is well aware several poor results in a row could see the Sky Blues slip into the danger zone. Eduardo Berizzo’s charges finally overcame a shocking run of results that saw them take just one point from nine league fixtures, with three wins and two draws that ensued seriously improving the players’ confidence. However, the 4-1 loss to Villarreal at El Madrigal hinted that the team are again going through a rough patch and they could find it hard to match red-hot Athletic Bilbao. The poor form of top scorers Nolito and Joaquin Larrivey is a major cause for concern, while the doubts surrounding the long-term future of key midfielder Michael Krohn-Dehli act as unnecessary distraction. And with the Danish footballer unlikely to return into action just yet, his absence is likely to be felt against Athletic. The Sky Blues have been pretty convincing at home of late, but it won’t be easy for them to recover from the heavy loss at El Madrigal.

Andreu Fontas and Carles Planas are both out injured, while Michael Krohn-Dehli is considered doubtful for the Athletic game.

Amazing victory over Real

This season has been a real rollercoaster ride for Athletic, who experienced plenty of problems in the Champions League and La Liga, but it was their Copa del Rey campaign that helped the team return to the right track. Against all odds, los Leones secured another final appearance as they defeated Espanyol on the road to record a 3-1 aggregate win, although mighty Barcelona again stands between them and the coveted title. The good news is Athletic have raised their La Liga performances as well, defeating Rayo Vallecano and Eibar before recording an impressive triumph over Real Madrid at San Mames. It appears that Ernesto Valverde has sorted out the shaky back line, with los Leones keeping three clean sheets in a row, while they remain extremely dangerous up front, with youngster Inaki Williams emerging as another player who can cause problems to opposition defenders. With the team sitting eight points behind European positions, Athletic hope they can clinch Europa League qualification with a strong finish to the season, and a win over Celta Vigo would certainly get them one step closer to the goal.

Carlos Gurpegui is banned for the clash at Balaidos, but Aymeric Laporte and Mikel San Jose return from injury and suspension respectively. Meanwhile, Andoni Iraola and Mikel Rico face fitness tests.

Verdict

Celta Vigo’s form is clearly on the downtrend and with their key forwards misfiring at the moment, the hosts will have problems matching in-form Athletic. Los Leones are full of confidence after two impressive results and I can see them sneaking a win at Balaidos.

Top pick: Athletic not to lose   1.83 (5/6) @ Coral

Alternative pick 1: Athletic Draw no bet   2.70 (17/10) @ BetVictor

Alternative pick 2: Away win   3.75 (11/4) @ TitanBet