The Matchday 20 La Liga clash between Celta and Athletic will take place on January 19 at the Balaídos Stadium. Celta vs. Athletic: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Referee: Miguel Ángel Ortiz Arias (Spain)
Matches – 9 (La Liga, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 38;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.2;
Red cards shown – 2;
Average fouls per match – 19;
Penalties – 11%.
Predicted lineups for Celta vs. Athletic
Celta (3-4-3): Vicente Guaita – Marcos Alonso, Carlos Dominguez, Carl Starfelt – Oscar Mingueza, Ilaix Moriba, Franco Cervi, Fran Beltran – Borja Iglesias, Jonathan Bamba, Alfonso Gonzalez.
Athletic (4-2-3-1): Unai Simon – Yuri Berchiche, Andoni Gorosabel, Aitor Paredes, Dani Vivian – Mikel Haurregui, Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta – Nico Williams, Inaki Williams, Oihan Sancet – Gorka Guruzeta.
Each team's lineup reflects their starting XI from their last match in this tournament.
Celta
The Galicians suffered a 1-2 defeat away to Rayo Vallecano in the last round. Interestingly, in their last five La Liga matches, the club alternated home victories with away losses. At home, they secured clean-sheet wins over Mallorca and Real Sociedad (both 2-0). Claudio Giraldez's side is in 12th place, being much closer to the European competition spots (6 points) than the relegation zone (8 points).
Defender Marcos Alonso is suspended, while forwards Alfonso Gonzalez and Iago Aspas will miss the match due to injuries.
- At least two goals were scored in 6 of Celta's last 7 La Liga games.
- The number "2" appeared in the final score in 5 of the Galicians' last 7 league matches.
- The club has not lost in the first half in their last six home matches in La Liga (3 wins and 3 draws).
Athletic
The Basques enter the upcoming match with a 10-match unbeaten streak in the league, comprising 6 wins and 4 draws. Notably, they have won five of their last six La Liga games, including victories over Real Madrid (2-1) and Villarreal (2-0). This successful run in La Liga has allowed the team to not only secure 4th place but also reduce the gap to Barcelona, who are in third, to just two points.
- Both teams scored in 10 of Athletic's last 13 league matches.
- Exactly two or three goals were scored in the Basques' last five La Liga games.
- The number "1" appeared in the final score in 7 of the club's last 8 league matches.
Celta vs. Athletic: Match Prediction
Despite Athletic's impressive unbeaten run in the league, I believe they might face defeat in the upcoming match. The Galicians have won three and drawn one of their last five head-to-head meetings at Balaídos in La Liga, with Athletic winning only once. Moreover, the club from Bilbao has scored just two goals in their last five visits to this opponent.
Additionally, the Basques have failed to win four of their last six away matches in La Liga (3 draws and 1 loss). On the other hand, Celta is a formidable opponent at home, having lost just twice in their last 16 home league matches (10 wins and 4 draws). It's worth noting that the Galicians' only defeats in this period were against Real Madrid (1-2) and Atletico Madrid (0-1).
My prediction – Celta with a handicap (0)
