Granada vs Celta Vigo
Spanish La Liga
Date: Sunday, 16th April 2017
Kick off at 19:45 UK/ 20:45 CET
Venue: Estadio Nuevo Los Carmenes.
Granada are 7 points from safety with only 7 games to play so new coach Tony Adams, a surprise appointment this week, has a huge job on his hands to try and steer them to safety. Given 3 of their next 4 games are really tough ones, they surely have to win this to retain any hopes of beating the drop. Fortunately for them Celta Vigo will be more interested in winning their Europa League Quarter Final, which concludes in Belgium on Thursday, and are likely to rest players which should aid the hosts chances and it could be a good start to Adams’ bizarre Spanish adventure.
Over the past few seasons Granada have been La Liga’s specialists in the art of the great escape. Even by their standards they are leaving it pretty late this season and their form isn’t good coming into this match, with only one point from their last six outings. However, it’s worth noting their last three visitors to the Estadio Nuevo Los Cármenes have been Barca, Atleti and a revitalised Valencia. Prior to that they’d actually found some real form at home, winning 5 of their previous 7 home matches and losing just once in 9.
If they can just get some of that confidence back, they might have enough to grab all 3 points here. Defensively there are concerns but they should be able to ask questions of a Celta side that has conceded 1.93 goals per game on their travels this season in La Liga. Celta’s overall defensive record of 1.7 goals per game conceded is also the 5th worst in the division.
It’s clear now that the Europa League will be their priority. They were 3-2 winners at home to Genk in the 1st Leg of their Europa League Quarter-Final on Thursday so that tie is very finely poised heading into the 2nd Leg and Celta will want their best players to be fresh, so many changes are expected here. Even with their best eleven, they’ve been poor away in La Liga this term. They’ve lost 53% of their away league games and average just 0.87 points per game on the road, which is the main reason they find themselves in mid-table with nothing to play for.
Granada will certainly be much the more motivated side and might just get a reaction with a new man at the helm for this game. Celta’s poor away record also suggests that backing Granada 0.0 Asian Handicap at 2.030 might just offer value here.
Granada
Om the bright side, the match with Celta could not have arrived in a better moment for Granada since the visitors will again be without their key players due to Euroap League ties with Genk.
However, Adams will have a huge job to tight things at the back even against the mixed lineup of Celta since the team conceded at least three goals on three separate occasions in last four league rounds.
Celta de Vigo
Eduardo Berizzo obviously does not have any ambitions in the final couple of matches in Primera Division.
The Sky Blues have nowhere to go and it is logical to expect the Argentine manager to rest his key players, just as he did in a 0-2 loss to Eibar last weekend when the likes of Josep Sene, Jozabed, Sisto and Guiseppe Rossi started the match.
Granada vs Celta de Vigo: Head to head
The head to head record is absolutely on Celta’s side. The Sky Blues have three wins on the bounce in meetings with Granada who took their last victory over Celta back in September 2012.
Iago Aspas, Theo Bongonda and Pape Diop were on target in Celta’s 3-1 win in late November last year at Balaidos.
Granada vs Celta de Vigo: Prediction
It is to be or not to be for Granada and we believe that they can take advantage of the fact the visitors will play with the mixed lineup.
Granada, after all, had three straight wins at Nuevo Los Carmenes before the matches with Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid and Valencia.
Granada vs Celta de Vigo: Bet Tips
The main betting pick will be Granada to win at the odds of 17/10.
The braver tipsters can take HT/FT Granada/Granada at 10/3.
