Today at 22:15 Lithuanian time in Spain, an intriguing second leg match of the King's Cup quarterfinals will take place. Madrid's "Real" club will try to retaliate against Vigo's "Celta" team after a home defeat.
"Celta Vigo" vs "Real Madrid" Tournament: King's Cup (quarterfinal) Stadium: "Balaidos" (Vigo) Referee: Jose Sanchez Date and time: 2017-01-25, 22:15
In the first leg of the quarterfinal match, the visitors from Vigo surprised everyone at the "Santiago Bernabeu" stadium by defeating Zinedine Zidane's team 2-1. "Celta" played defensively throughout the game, but weaknesses in the "Real" defense line allowed them to achieve a positive result.
Sporting form and King's Cup journey
"Celta", despite a recent loss in the Spanish league, is currently in great sporting form, while their opponents from Madrid have been struggling lately, failing to win in three consecutive matches after a 40-game unbeaten streak.
Vigo's team suffered a narrow defeat in the last "La Liga" match against Real Sociedad. Meanwhile, "Real" secured a victory in the national championship, but their performance was not convincing, and they only managed to win against "Malaga" after a tough battle with a 2-1 result.
"Celta" started their King's Cup journey from the round of 16, where they defeated "Murcia" with an aggregate score of 2-0. In the quarterfinals, they faced "Valencia" but the crisis in the "balaídos" team did not cause any problems for "Celta" and they advanced to the quarterfinals.
Real Madrid also started their King's Cup journey from the round of 16. They left no hopes for "Cultural Leonesa" with an aggregate score of 13-2, and in the quarterfinals, they defeated "Sevilla" with a 6-3 score.
Team news
Before the crucial match against "Celta", Real Madrid has suffered several key injuries. Due to various injuries, Pepe, Dani Carvajal, Raphael Varane, Marcelo, Luka Modric, James Rodriguez, and Gareth Bale will not be available for the game.
On the other hand, "Celta" does not have any significant absences before the match and will field their strongest lineup, except for Pablo Hernandez who is suspended. This will be a huge advantage for them against Real Madrid, who are currently plagued by injuries.
Predicted starting lineups:
"Celta Vigo": Sergio Alvarez; Hugo Mallo, Cabral, Roncaglia, Jonny; Radoja, Marcelo Diaz; Bongonda, Pione Sisto, Daniel Wass; Iago Aspas.
"Real Madrid": Kiko Casilla; Danilo, Sergio Ramos, Nacho, Fabio Coentrao; Lucas Vazquez, Toni Kroos, Casemiro, Isco; Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema.
Interesting facts
In the last 10 matches, "Celta" has won seven times and lost only three times.
During the same period, Real Madrid has won six times, drawn twice, and lost twice.
The last time Real Madrid reached the King's Cup semifinals was in the 2013-14 season, when they went on to win the title under Carlo Ancelotti.
The last match at "Celta's" fortress ended with a 3-1 victory for Real Madrid.
Prediction
Real Madrid will have a tough task today - to defeat their opponents by a two-goal margin without some key players. Playing at "Celta's" home ground is not easy for any team, but Real Madrid under Zidane has shown time and again that they can bounce back from setbacks. Prediction - Real Madrid to win 3-1 and advance to the semifinals.
Guess the outcome of the King's Cup quarterfinal match between Vigo "Celta" and Madrid "Real"! The betting company "CBet" considers Real Madrid as favorites for the match, what do you think?
