Xavi’s side secured the Champions League qualification with a thrilling 2-1 win over Real Betis at the weekend while the visitors thrashing Alaves 4-0.
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With a top-four finish now guaranteed, Barcelona will host Celta Vigo in the La Liga fixture at Camp Nou on Tuesday evening. Xavi’s side secured the Champions League qualification with a thrilling 2-1 win over Real Betis at the weekend while the visitors thrashing Alaves 4-0. Barcelona giving Copa del Rey winners Real Betis a guard of honour was certainly a collector’s item , but the Blaugrana focused on the task at hand when the first whistle blew and guaranteed themselves a place in the 2021-22 Champions League in dramatic fashion at the Benito Villamarin.
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Substitute Ansu Fati broke the deadlock in the 76th minute before Marc Bartra equalised through shoulder for Real Betis. Just when it looked like the Copa del Rey champions would take a point against the Blaugrana, left-back Jordi Alba netted the winner in the fourth minute of injury time. The Spaniard’s exquisite volley confirmed Barcelona’s place in Europe’s elite competition. It is still mathematically possible for Sevilla and Atletico Madrid to get above Barcelona. Atletico defeated champions Real Madrid 1-0 on Sunday to consolidate their fourth spot. With three more games remaining, Xavi can test his bench strength and start planning for the next season and a busy summer of acquisitions.
On the other hand, Celta Vigo thrashed Alaves courtesy of goals from Iago Aspas, Thiago Galhardo and Franco Cervi. Captain Aspas netted a brace to extend his tally to 17 for the season while Galhardo and Cervi scored one goal each. Alaves finished the match with a man less as Navarro was sent off. A top-half finish is very much possible for Eduardo Coudet’s side, who currently find themselves 11th in the table, just one point behind Valencia. Having won just on their last seven before Alaves paid the visit to Balaidos, a four goal thrashing was the perfect tonic.
Barcelona have lost Sergio Busquets to suspension for Tuesday’s game after he picked up his 10th yellow card of the season in the Real Betis win. Meanwhile Nico Gonzalez, Sergi Roberto and Pedri are all out for the season with injuries.
As for Celta Vigo, their treatment room is near-empty at the moment , with only Hugo Mallo expected to miss out as he works his way back from Patella fracture.
Barcelona possible starting lineup: Ter Stegen, Alves, R Araujo, Garcia, Alba, Gavi, De Jong, Puig, Dembele, Aubameyang, Torres
Celta Vigo possible starting lineup: Dituro, Vazquez, N. Araujo, Aidoo, Galan, Beltran, Mendez, Suarez, Cervi, Aspas, Galhardo.
The squad for #BarçaCelta! pic.twitter.com/noZehMlTlV
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) May 9, 2022
The La Liga battle between Barcelona and Celta Vigo will take place at Camp Nouand it will kick off at 1:00 am IST on Wednesday, May 11.
The match will be live streamed Voot Select and JioTV. Meanwhile, football fans in India can also enjoy the action on TV networks, as the competition is telecast live on MTV, the flagship channel of Viacom18.
La Liga: Real Madrid notch hard-fought win as Atletico, Valencia also register wins
