Celta Vigo - Atletico Madrid predictions and free betting tips [21/10/2023]

On Saturday, the 21st of October, as part of the 10th round of the Spanish La Liga, "Celta" will host Madrid's "Atletico". Diego Simeone's team ranks fourth in the league table, trailing the leading "Real Madrid" by five points, with a game in hand, while "Celta" is 18th with six points.

Predicted Line-ups

"Celta": Villar; Mingueza, Starfelt, Nunez, M Sanchez; Perez, Beltran, De la Torre, Bamba; Aspas, Larsen.
"Atletico": Oblak; Azpilicueta, Savic, Hermoso; Molina, Llorente, Koke, De Paul, Lino; Morata, Griezmann.

Stadium

The match will take place in Vigo at the Balaidos Stadium.

"Celta"

"Celta" is having a rough time at the start of the season. Sitting in 18th position at the beginning of the tour, the Galicians have only won one match in Andalusia, against "Almeria" on 1 September (2:3). Since then, the "Crusaders" have been winless for five tours in a row, losing three out of three recent matches: "Mallorca" (0:1), "Barcelona" (3:2) and "Las Palmas" (2:1). Just before the international break, the sky blues were unable to defeat "Getafe", despite being in the majority for over an hour (2:2).

Rafael Benitez's squad lags behind the 13th-place "Cadiz" by only three points, so a win this weekend could significantly improve the host's situation. However, the schedule doesn't favour them: in the next three La liga matches, they will face "Girona", "Sevilla", and "Atletico Bilbao". Last season, "Celta" finished in 13th place and has been in La Liga since being promoted in 2011. 

"Atletico"

Madrid's "Atletico" has been on the rise in recent weeks, and 5 consecutive wins confirm it. Indeed, the "Colchoneros" last defeat happened on September 16 at Mestalla against "Valencia" (3:0). That loss was followed by a 1:1 draw with "Lazio" in the Champions League, yet, the turning point occurred in the Madrid derby against "Real Madrid". Simeone's squad convincingly overcame their neighbours by 3:1, and to date, "Atletico" is the only team to defeat the Whites this campaign. Before the international break, "Rojiblancos" bagged all three points in their home match against "Real Sociedad" (2:1) due to Antoine Griezmann's converted penalty on the 89th minute, just days after triumphing in the Champions League over the reigning Dutch champions, "Feyenoord" (3:2). 

Next week, the Red and Whites are set to travel to "Celtic", so all their energy can be focused on the domestic championship. Thomas Lemar (Achilles tendon's fracture), Reinildo (recovering from ACL tear), Dutchman Memphis Depay, and central defender Gimenez are still recuperating in the hospital. On the other hand, defensive midfielder Pablo Barrios, central defender Seyunju, and attacker Correa (3 goals in La Liga this season), along with Argentine Molina are back. Antoine Griezmann (15 goals, 16 assists last season) will certainly lead the attack on Saturday alongside striker Alvaro Morata (5 goals in the league this season). Saul Niguez is gradually returning to his past form and will operate in the central midfield.

Head-to-Head

"Celta" has lost all four recent league matches against "Atletico", with the "Mattress Makers" triumphing 0:1 and 4:1 last season.

Match Prediction: "Celta" - "Atletico Madrid"

Despite the weakened squad due to injury issues, "Atletico" look solid at the season's start, and their bench allows Simeone to seamlessly replace missing players. Against "Celta", who are in crisis, Atletico should confidently win and reduce the gap with the leading "Real Madrid". My prediction is a victory for the "Mattress Makers" with a handicap of 0.

Total Prediction

"Atletico" have scored 20 goals in 8 rounds, while "Celta" has conceded 15 in 9 matches. Griezmann, Morata, and Correa are in excellent form heading into autumn and are likely to score at least two goals.

Corner Prediction

"Atletico" outclasses its opponent and will dominate for the full 90 minutes, so I'm betting on the visitors to win the corner battle.

Yellow Card Prediction

Matches involving "Atletico" are always rich in yellow cards (averaging 5 per game), so I'm betting on over 4.5 total cautions.

Score Prediction

I'm betting on a precise score of 0:2 in favour of "Atletico".