Barcelona vs Celta Vigo preview, prediction, team news and head-to-head

• Over 2.5 goals

• Both teams to score

• Barcelona to win

Barcelona will be looking to make it eight straight wins in Spain's top flight when they continue their campaign at home to Celta Vigo on Wednesday evening.

The Blaugrana have been comfortably the best team in Spain's top flight this season, picking up 79 points from 31 matches courtesy of a record of 26 wins, one draw, and four defeats.

They are nine points ahead of second-placed Real Madrid heading into the final straight.

In their most recent La Liga outing, the Catalans dispatched Espanyol with authority (4-1), further extending their impressive run of form.

Real Madrid will have the chance to cut the gap to six points when they face Alaves on Tuesday night, but it is incredibly difficult to imagine Flick's team giving up the title from this position.

Celta Vigo, meanwhile, are navigating a tough stretch of the season, having crashed out of the Europa League and struggling for consistency in La Liga. 

Recent defeats to Oviedo (0-3) and Alavés (3-4) have highlighted their woes, with a solitary win over Valencia (3-2) providing little respite. 

However, Celta tend to perform with more confidence on the road than at home and have shown an ability to trouble even the biggest clubs. 

In previous trips to Barcelona, they have often put up a fight and even forced the hosts to chase the game, showing character and a knack for exploiting their rivals’ weaknesses.

Real Madrid would be incredibly thankful if the visitors could leave with all three points on Wednesday night. 

Barcelona's last two fixtures with Celta have been thrilling affairs, with the Catalan outfit winning 4-3 at home in the corresponding match last season and 4-2 in Vigo in the reverse game earlier this term.

The Sky Blues have a relatively recent away league success over Barcelona to their name, recording a 2-1 victory in 2021 and a 2-2 draw as recently as November 2024. 

Barcelona La Liga form: 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Barcelona form (all competitions): 🟩🟩🟩🟥🟩🟩

Celta Vigo La Liga form: 🟩🟥🟧🟥🟩🟥

Celta Vigo form (all competitions): 🟩🟥🟩🟥🟥🟥

Raphinha and Andreas Christensen remain out for Barcelona due to injury problems, while Marc Bernal (ankle) needs to be assessed.

Frenkie de Jong is likely to come into the midfield on Wednesday night alongside Pedri. Pau Cubarsí should also return to the rearguard after missing the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Atletico due to suspension.

Ferran Torres was excellent last time out and should keep his spot ahead of Robert Lewandowski, while Dani Olmo is also in line to retain his spot in the first XI here.

As for Celta, Miguel Roman is out of the contest and indeed out for the remainder of the season due to a broken foot, but the away team is otherwise in strong shape in terms of their squad.

Javi Rodriguez missed the team's last league match through suspension, but the defender is available here, while Carl Starfelt should also return after overcoming a back issue.

Borja Iglesias has had an impressive season, scoring 15 times in all competitions, and there will be another spot in the final third of the field for the Spaniard.

Barcelona: J García; Koundé, Cubarsí, E García, Cancelo; De Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Fermín; Torres

Celta Vigo: Radu; Alonso, Starfelt, Rodríguez; Carreira, Moriba, Vecino, Mingueza; López; Iglesias, Jutgla

Celta Vigo are capable of making this a tricky match for Barcelona, and we are expecting it to be close in terms of the scoreline, especially considering Celta's away record.

However, Barcelona are just too strong at the moment league-wise, and the hosts should be able to get the job done to take another huge step towards winning the La Liga title.

Correct score prediction: Barcelona 2-1 Celta Vigo