Overview
After 35 rounds in La Liga, Celta Vigo is ranked sixth in the standings with a record of 13 wins, 11 draws and 11 defeats, thereby facing the opportunity to improve their seventh position last season.
The representative of Galicia is currently wide open to win tickets to the Europa League for the second consecutive season, and still nurtures hopes of competing for a Champions League spot for the first time since the 2003-2004 season.
Two consecutive recent victories have added motivation for Celta in the race to the top 5 - a position qualified for the Champions League after La Liga was awarded an additional spot to participate in the most prestigious club-level European tournament.
After a 3-1 victory over Elche at home, Claudio Giraldez's team continued to impress when defeating Atletico Madrid with a score of 1-0 right at Metropolitano.
Borja Iglesias' delicate lob helps Celta win for the first time at Atletico's stadium since June 2007, while narrowing the gap with fifth-placed Real Betis to 4 points when the season is only three rounds away.
In the next round, Celta has a basis to confidently aim for another victory when their opponent is Levante - a team they have won 3 of their last 4 encounters, including a dramatic 2-1 victory in the first leg in November thanks to Miguel Roman's decisive goal in injury time.
However, home form is a worrying issue for Celta. They currently have the second worst home record in La Liga this season when they only won 20 points after 17 matches at Balaidos.
In the opposite direction, Levante is still struggling in the relegation battle. Luis Castro's team is currently only 2 points behind the safe group before the away match to Galicia.
After a heavy 1-5 defeat to Villarreal, Levante showed a positive response with a comeback to defeat Osasuna with a score of 3-2.
Victor Garcia scored two goals in just a few minutes to bring the match back to balance after Levante was led by an own goal and a goal from Ante Budimir. The turning point came right before halftime when Osasuna goalkeeper Sergio Herrera was sent off for using his hand to play the ball outside the penalty area.
Despite facing many difficulties in taking advantage of the numerical advantage, Levante still managed to win all 3 points thanks to a goal in the 90th minute by Karl Etta Eyong - his first goal in La Liga since October.
That victory helped Levante extend their home unbeaten streak to 6 matches. However, away form is still a big problem as they have only won 2 points in their last 7 away trips since the victory over Sevilla in January.
Recent head-to-head record also does not favor Levante as they have not won in their last 5 encounters with Celta since a three-game winning streak in the 2019-2020 period.
However, Levante can still be somewhat confident because they have avoided defeat in 3/4 of their recent away matches at Balaidos, with 2 wins and 1 draw.
Expected lineup:
Celta Vigo: Radu, Rodriguez, Lago, Alonso, Rueda, Moriba, Sotelo, Carreira, Aspas, Alvarez, Iglesias.
Ryan, Toljan, Dela, Moreno, Sanchez, Olasagasti, Martinez, Arriaga, Garcia, Brugue, Espi.
The match between Celta Vigo and Levante takes place at 0:30 am on May 13 (Vietnam time).
