Celta Vigo vs Real Madrid Predictions, Betting Tips and Match Previews

Zinedine Zidane’s Real Madrid have proved ready for just about every big test that they’ve faced over the last 12 months and this is most certainly another one. Celta Vigo’s 2-1 win at the Santiago Bernabeu last week sets the 2nd Leg up perfectly for what has the potential to be a real goal-fest.

Real Madrid have to score at least twice to stand any chance of progressing so they have little choice but to be positive here. Finding the net a couple of times themselves might prove the easier part of their task. It’s 38 games ago that they last failed to score in a competitive match, when they drew 0-0 at Manchester City in their Champions League Semi-Final 1st Leg. They average 2.75 goals per game on their travels in La Liga this term, which is actually more then they’ve managed at the Bernabeu.

What’s more they are up against a Celta Vigo defence which isn’t the most convincing. The Galicians have let in 1.74 goals per game in the league this term, keeping a clean sheet in only 10% of their home games. Therefore, there should be openings for the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema but one man who can’t stop scoring is Sergio Ramos.

The centre-back bagged a brace at the weekend to take his season tally to 8 in all competitions with 5 in his last 9 appearances for Los Blancos. What’s more he usually scores key late goals in big games and this feels like the kind of stage where he could pop up with another crucial goal for his team, so backing Ramos to score anytime could be worth a flutter at long odds.

Celta Vigo are a side more comfortable when they can be positive so it’s unlikely they’ll just sit deep and try to restrain Real Madrid as that really doesn’t play to their strengths. With the likes of Iago Aspas in red hot form, they’ll look for goals themselves and there should be plenty of openings in this for them too. Their victory at the Bernabeu last week will give them plenty of confidence, as will the 4 goals they scored against Barcelona earlier in the season.

The stats certainly point towards this being a high-scoring game. 80% of Celta Vigo home games in La Liga have had over 2.5 goals with both teams scoring in 60% of them. Similarly 75% of Real Madrid away games have produced over 2.5 goals with both teams scoring in 62% of them. The tie is really nicely poised for an entertaining 2nd Leg that could go to the wire and backing Over 2.5 Goals & Both Teams to Score at 5/6 looks like the smart bet.