After dem kick Barça comot for Champions League, Atlético Madrid don finish dem for Copa del Rey sef, now Barcelona don return to La Liga wey be di only competition wey dem still dey alive. And dem dey alive well well for dis league o. With just seven matches remain, and dem get healthy lead for top ahead of Real Madrid, e dey look like e go soon be when dem go add another league trophy to dia collection.
For CET time, Barça go host Celta Vigo for Spotify Camp Nou, dem dey hope say dem go restore dia nine-point lead wey cut down to six after Real Madrid beat Alavés 2-1 for Tuesday. If dem no win, e go open door for Real Madrid wey go come Barça ground for May 10. Coach Hansi Flick vow for pre-match press conference say, “We go give everything for di fans.” Him talk say di elimination pain dem, but e give dem energy for next matches. Dem don rest small, and dat don help dem clear dia head. Di team spirit dey high and dem dey always learn from defeat.
Barça form for home for La Liga no be here o, dem don win all sixteen matches wey dem play so far. Dem need just three more victories to set record for di competition since di division contain twenty teams. Home or away, dia current run na seven wins straight, with di latest success na 4-1 derby victory over Espanyol.
Di visitors, Celta Vigo, come into dis match with similar European wahala last week. Freiburg end dia Europa League journey for quarter-final stage. For league, things no start well for di Galicians, but wins begin come towards end of 2025, and dem soon dey challenge for European slots. But dem don falter small recently, with just three wins from dia last eleven outings, including shock 3-0 reverse at home to struggling Oviedo last week. Champions League qualification dey look unlikely now, but Celta still dey fight for place for other continental competitions.
Barça generally get upper hand against Celta, dem don lose just one of dia last nine meetings for La Liga. But plenty of those clashes don be close calls. One memorable one na di game for Estadi Olimpic last season, where Celta lead 3-1 go into last half hour, but Barça manage to draw 3-3 and win di tie thanks to Raphinha penalty for eighth minute of injury time. Di meeting for Balaidos earlier dis season na another lively one, with Celta twice respond quickly to Robert Lewandowski goals before Lamine Yamal and Lewandowski score again make am 4-2.
Barça survive those occasions, but no for 2021, di last time Celta win at Camp Nou, 2-1 thanks to brace from Santi Mina. Di three goals for last season no be di only time Lewandowski don find net against di sky blues. For total, him don score eight goals against dem for just five games, him second best record against any Liga side. But if Barça get specialist for scoring against Celta, Celta get dia own specialist for other direction. Dia captain Iago Aspas don score eleven times against Barça, more than any other player for any team dis century. And Borja Iglesias get three of him own for di seven-goal thriller last season, and him don score fifteen across all competitions for 2025-26. Ferran Jutglà, former blaugrana, na another man to watch for Celta strong frontline.
Barça dey again without injured Raphinha and Andreas Christensen, while Marc Bernal no fit for dis game. On di plus side, Pau Cubarsi don back after miss Champions League game through suspension. Celta get even fewer fitness concerns, with Miguel Roman na only certain absentee with broken foot.
Di match go hold for Camp Nou, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Referee na José Luis Munuera Montero, VAR na Carlos del Cerro Grande. How to watch on TV: ESPN Deportes (USA), Premier Sports 1 (UK), SuperSport (Nigeria), Movistar (Spain), others. How to watch online: ESPN+ (USA), Premier Sports Player (UK), FanCode (India), Movistar+ (Spain), others.
Following painful Champions League elimination against Atlético Madrid, Barcelona don get full week to rest, recover, train and reset as dem turn focus back to La Liga and home game against Celta Vigo for Wednesday night at di Greatest Stadium on Earth. Di European exit for Madrid na disappointing and deflating, but any notion say Barça season “don over” na false. Winning back-to-back La Liga titles go be massive achievement, one wey Barça still never accomplish dis decade and go serve as further proof say Hansi Flick na di right man for di job as di Catalans try to take next step for continental play.
Barça dey four wins away from clinching di title, and di dream scenario of winning di league by defeating Real Madrid for El Clásico for three weeks dey become more and more real. Madrid win for Tuesday against Alavés, which mean di Blaugrana must pick up all three points to restore dia nine-point lead for top and continue on march to championship—which fit well come at home against dia biggest rivals.
Di task for Wednesday no easy, however. Celta na one of di very few teams for La Liga wey no dey fear to face Barça for Catalonia, and dem dey willing to play aggressive, attacking football at di Catalans home. Celta dey on terrible run of results and dem concede fifteen goals for dia last five games, but dia attack na dynamic and tough to stop, so we suppose prepare for high-scoring affair at Camp Nou.
Celta face dia own painful European exit last week at di hands of Freiburg for Europa League quarter-finals, and di Sky Blues now fully focused on finishing ahead of Real Betis for fifth to play for next season Europa League. Dem get several former Barça players and dem really well coached by Claudio Giráldez, and Barça killer Iago Aspas na always giant threat. Because of di attacking nature of both teams and desperation to win on both sides, dis go be plenty fun.
Celta go cause trouble with dia quick passing and dangerous wing play, and Borja Iglesias don prove to be brutal matchup for Barça defense with him size and power. Barça go be favorites and Celta defense dey too leaky right now, but dem still deserve ton of respect. Dis no be mediocre mid-table team or relegation candidate; dis na legitimately one of di best attacking sides for league and dem more than capable of causing upset at Camp Nou. E dey up to Barça to dey ready for di fight.
Expected lineups: Barcelona (4-2-3-1): Joan; Kounde, Cubarsí, Martín, Cancelo; Gavi, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Fermín; Ferran. Celta (3-4-1-2): Radu; Rodríguez, Aidoo, Alonso; Carreira, Moriba, Vecino, Mingueza; López; Jutglà, Iglesias.
Dis go be high-scoring and full of chances, but Barça dey well-rested and hungry to leave European disappointment behind. Celta Vigo don be excellent for dia travels dis season, losing only two away La Liga matches. However, dem don play only one home game against one of di top four teams. Dia woeful current form also point to serious problems for di Galician club camp currently. Dem head into dis match having concede nine goals across dia last three fixtures, while scoring just once. Those encounters be against side wey currently dey seventh for Bundesliga, and di worst team for La Liga.
Barcelona suppose dey in good shape as dem don get week to rest after entertaining Champions League clash for Madrid. With no more European distractions, dem unlikely to throw away commanding lead for Spanish title race. Barça don be di outstanding team for dis division. With dia opponents for such poor form, di hosts capable of winning dis game by several goals.
Red cards for each leg play crucial role for Barcelona European exit. Dem certainly get di best player across di two matches against Atlético Madrid. Yamal excel for each game and don dey in fine form since international break. Di teenager don register two goals and two assists for him last two appearances. Him record four key passes for second leg against Atlético, twice as many as any other player. Dat follow impressive derby display against Espanyol, where him set up Ferran Torres to score twice.
Across league and Champions League football dis term, di Spain international don create fifteen goals for thirty-seven appearances. Him dey two clear of Getafe Luis Milla as La Liga assist leader. Yamal dey offer to register one or more assists for dis game. Barcelona also travel to Getafe for Saturday. Therefore, Hansi Flick go consider changing him lineup if him team manage to build up lead of three goals. Dem fit be content with keeping di ball and protecting dia defence for dat situation.
For all di talk of Barça vulnerabilities, dem get di best home defensive record for La Liga. Dem don concede just three times after di interval at home all season for Spanish top flight. Dat don contribute to seventy-five percent of Barcelona home league fixtures ending with four or fewer goals. Meanwhile, di same apply to eighty-seven percent of Celta Vigo away matches. Di Galicians dey struggle for attack right now, with top scorer Borja Iglesias out of form. Di experienced striker don go eight matches without finding net for club and country. No other players don step up to fill dat void consistently.
Do you have a news tip for NNN? Please email us at editor @ nnn.ng
