oi-Prateek Bannerjee
Celta Vigo are up against Real Madrid at the Balaidos Stadium in a Matchday 27 clash on 7 March 2026, that could define the trajectory of the La Liga title race. Celta Vigo, under Claudio Giraldez, has been the surprise package of the season. Having already reached the 40-point mark faster than any Celta side since 2016, they are brimming with confidence. The return of Borja Iglesias from suspension provides them with a clinical edge up front.
Real Madrid arrives in Vigo trailing league leaders Barcelona by four points, knowing that any further slip-up could effectively end their title defense. Key injuries, absentees and doubts for Real Madrid are main problem in their title winning bid with David Alaba recently joining the long list.
Meanwhile, Celta is riding on match winning streak, including a dominant 2-0 victory in the reverse fixture earlier this season. With the Balaidos crowd expected to turn the stadium into a cauldron of noise, Real Madrid faces one of their toughest tests of the campaign.
Celta Vigo vs Real Madrid Predicted Playing XIs
Celta Vigo: Ionut Radu; Javi Rodriguez, Joseph Aidoo, Carlos Dominguez; Oscar Mingueza, Miguel Roman, Ilaix Moriba, Sergio Carreira; Fer Lopez, Borja Iglesias, Hugo Alvarez.
Real Madrid: Thibaut Courtois; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Antonio Rudiger, Raul Asencio, Fran Garcia; Aurelien Tchouameni, Thiago Pitarch; Federico Valverde, Arda Guler, Vinicius Junior; Gonzalo Garcia
Real Madrid Team News
Madrid’s most prolific goal scorer and La Liga’s highest goal scorer, Kylian Mbappe, will miss the action with a left knee sprain. Midfielder Jude Bellingham is also sidelined from the competition owing to a left thigh injury, while Rodrygo is out for the rest of the season after an ACL tear.
The injury list for Los Blancos, however, does not stop here. Dani Ceballos, David Alaba, and Eder Militao are also out with injuries.
Meanwhile, Argentinian prodigy Franco Mastantuono is suspended from the game following his red card against Getafe. Alvaro Carreras and Dean Huijsen will also miss the game after accumulating subsequent yellow cards.
Celta Vigo Team News
Celta Vigo will miss out on the services of Pablo Duran and Franco Cervi. They are injured. Marcos Alonso and Carl Starfelt might also miss out due to a lack of fitness. However, the biggest positive news for the home side is the return of their top goal scorer, Borja Iglesias, who has scored 14 goals this season.
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Story first published: Friday, March 6, 2026, 22:55 [IST]
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