Having kept their survival chances alive with a rare away win over Real Valladolid, Celta Vigo might just avoid the drop if they defeat Espanyol at home. Their opponents have nothing to play for at the moment, but they will attempt to end a five-match winless run at Balaidos.

Dream still alive

Celta Vigo were really unfortunate to find themselves fighting for their lives having played some good football this season. Boost by the heavy summer recruitment, the Sky Blues proved they have what it takes to mix it up with the best of them in La Liga, but the lack of cutting edge proved to be a major issue. Abel Resino’s side just could not find a way to kill off the game they dominated, which ended up costing them quite a few previous points. However, nothing is over yet as Celta could still survive this campaign if they defeat Espanyol and Deportivo La Coruna fail to win against top 4 hopefuls Real Sociedad. Seeing as how this looks a pretty feasible scenario, there are no doubts the Sky Blues will be very motivated to keep their part of the bargain and end the season with another victory. With Iago Aspas back to the side and scoring, the hosts have reason for optimism, although their shaky back line will have to be wary of Espanyol’s counterattacks as their opponents are unlikely to roll over for them at Balaidos.

First choice keeper Javi Varas misses out and with his replacement Sergio Alvarez only recently returning from injury, 17-year-old Ruben Blanco Suarez looks set to start in goal. Danijel Pranjic is out injured, while Vadim Demidov is doubtful.

Espanyol on the downtrend

Even if this season ends with fifth defeat in last six league games, chances are nobody at the club will be too disappointed after the team did really well to avoid the relegation tussle. Before Javier Aguirre took over the reigns, los Periquitos were sitting deep in the bottom three, but everything changed with the arrival of the experienced boss. The Mexican quickly helped the players restore the lost confidence and Espanyol in turn swiftly escape the danger zone in La Liga. Having spent so much energy on escaping the relegation zone, it was hardly surprising to see los Periquitos embark on a poor run of result in the business end of the season, but the players should have plenty of motives to at least end the season on a high. With Celta severely weakened at the back, Espanyol attackers should get more than enough opportunities to test 17-year-old Ruben Suarez. Los Periquitos may have failed to score in last two away fixtures, but they had bagged six goals in previous three matches on the road.

Wakaso Mubarak starts a three-match suspension, but Sergio Tejera returns. Victor Alvarez and Samuele Longo remain sidelined.

Verdict

Celta have been made clear favourites to win this tie due to their superior motivation, but with the team extremely weakened at the back, they might have to score at least two or three goals to win this match. Espanyol are under no pressure at the moment, which should result in a pretty good performance from los Periquitos.

Top pick: Both teams to score   1.83 (5/6) @ Ladbrokes

Alternative pick 1: Over 2.5 goals   1.73 (8/11) @ Stan James

Alternative pick 2: Celta/Celta   2.25 (5/4) @ BetVictor

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