Celta Vigo climbed back to the top half of the La Liga standings as they defeated Levante on the road, but the Sky Blues will have much bigger fish to fry when they host leaders Barcelona on Sunday. Luis Enrique returns to Balaidos in great spirits, with his side having won the El Clasico to open up a four-point cushion at the top.

Another top 10 finish on the cards

Looking at team’s results and performances this season, we can safely say Celta have completed the transition from relegation strugglers to genuine mid table side, with coach Eduardo Berizzo doing really well since succeeding his next opponent. The Sky Blues did experience some tough times this term, but they would always prove their worth when it was needed the most, making sure they never slip into the danger zone. It does appear as though the players become complacent after virtually securing La Liga survival, with back to back losses to Villarreal and Athletic acting as a blow to their confidence. Celta, nonetheless, returned to the right track by defeating Levante away, although I still doubt they can cause too many problems to in-form Barcelona. And having lost seven of last nine matches against the Catalans, the Sky Blues don’t exactly have much to hope for at the moment. Celta have not been too impressive at home this season and it is highly unlikely they will improve the poor home record against mighty Barcelona.

Former Barca defender Carles Planas could miss the remainder of the season, while Borja Oubina and Levy Mandinda also miss out.

Decisive step towards La Liga title

Barcelona desperately needed to enjoy some success this season after the previous campaign proved the most disappointing in recent years, and the Catalans already appear to have two major trophies in the bag. While they will be vying Athletic Bilbao for the Copa del Rey trophy in front of home fans, Luis Enrique’s charges created a four-point advantage at the La Liga summit by winning the El Clasico game ahead of the international break, meaning the league title is theirs to lose. On top of that, Barcelona have made it to the Champions League quarter-finals, so we cannot yet rule out a second treble for the Spanish giants. The Catalans have been virtually unstoppable since the turn of the year, that is since the 1-0 loss to Real Sociedad and are now searching for 19th victory in 20 games. Celta defenders hoped to receive some good news as Leo Messi injured his foot on international duty, but the Argentine superstar has since resumed full training and looks set to start at Balaidos, which further improves Barcelona’s chances of winning this match.

Leo Messi has trained on Friday and is set to start, but Javier Mascherano is banned and Thomas Vermaelen is out injured.

Verdict

Celta did play some good football this season, but they clearly lack the quality to stop red-hot Barcelona in their tracks. Buoyed by the El Clasico win and the return of Leo Messi, the Catalans can be trusted to record another comfortable win.

Top pick: Barcelona/Barcelona   2.10 (11/10) @ Betfair

Alternative pick 1: Barcelona -1.5 AH   2.18 (13/11) @ BetVictor

Alternative pick 2: Suarez to score   2.10 (11/10) @ bet365