Before Real Madrid can look ahead to their Champions League bout with Manchester City, they first must face off with Celta Vigo in an all-important league clash.
Los Blancos saw what was a five-point gap ahead of Barcelona atop the La Liga standings turn into a one-point deficit after only managing draws with Rayo Vallecano, Elche and Girona to close out November. Xabi Alonso’s men got back to winning ways against Athletic Club, though, and will hope to carry that momentum back to the Bernabéu.
Celta Vigo also come into the fixture struggling for form. Claudio Giráldez’s men have collected three points in just one of their last five matches across all competitions. Even worse, the visitors have not defeated Real Madrid since 2017.
Still, the 15-time European champions cannot afford to take any opponent lightly given their tight battle with Barcelona for the Spanish crown.
Here is Sports Illustrated’s guide to the La Liga clash.
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Real Madrid vs. Celta Vigo Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Games)
Current Form (All Competitions)
|
Real Madrid |
Celta Vigo |
|---|---|
|
Athletic Club 0–3 Real Madrid – 12/3/25 |
Sant Andreu 1–1 (6–7 pens) Celta Vigo – 12/4/25 |
|
Girona 1–1 Real Madrid – 11/30/25 |
Celta Vigo 0–1 Espanyol – 11/30/25 |
|
Olympiacos 3–4 Real Madrid – 11/26/25 |
Ludogorets Razgrad 3–2 Celta Vigo – 11/27/25 |
|
Elche 2–2 Real Madrid – 11/23/25 |
Alavés 0–1 Celta Vigo – 11/22/25 |
|
Rayo Vallecano 0–0 Real Madrid – 11/9/25 |
Celta Vigo 2–4 Barcelona – 11/9/25 |
|
Country |
TV Channel/Live Stream |
|---|---|
|
United States |
ESPN Select, ESPN Deportes, fuboTV |
|
United Kingdom |
Premier Sports 1 |
|
Canada |
TSN+, TSN2 |
|
Mexico |
Sky+, Sky Sports |
Trent Alexander-Arnold is back in the infirmary after suffering a quad injury midweek. The England international is expected to be out for two months, joining Dani Carvajal and Ferland Mendy on the sidelines until 2026.
Eduardo Camavinga is also nursing an ankle injury he picked up against Athletic Club. The issue is not thought to be serious, but he remains a doubt for Sunday’s clash, along with Dean Huijsen and David Alaba.
In the wake of Camavinga’s injury, Alonso will need Federico Valverde in the midfield to take the Frenchman’s place, leaving natural center back Raúl Asencio likely to get the nod on the right flank.
Real Madrid predicted lineup vs. Celta Vigo (4-2-3-1): Courtois; Asencio, Militão, Rüdiger, Carreras; Valverde, Tchouaméni; Güler, Bellingham; Vinicius Junior; Mbappé.
Unlike Real Madrid, Celta Vigo have nearly a complete squad for Sunday’s clash. Giráldez is only sweating on the fitness of Mihailo Ristić and Joseph Aidoo.
The latter only lasted 11 minutes against Sant Andreu on Thursday evening before picking up an undisclosed injury. Aidoo is a major doubt for the trip to the Spanish capital.
Otherwise, expect many of Celta Vigo’s strongest players to return to the XI after being rested for the team’s midweek Copa del Rey clash. The pressure will especially be on Borja Iglesias, who is struggling for consistency as of late. The striker has only found the back of the net twice in his last 11 appearances.
Celta Vigo predicted lineup vs. Real Madrid (3-4-3): Radu; J. Rodríguez, Starfelt, Alonso; Rueda, Beltrán, Román, Carreira; Aspas, Iglesias, Zaragoza.
Los Blancos might not be firing on all cylinders, but the boost of returning home after six consecutive away matches will have the Spanish giants even more eager to put forth a statement performance, especially against a side with just one win in its last five matches.
Celta Vigo will get their chances against Real Madrid’s weakened backline, though, and would be smart to attack Asencio. Still, the visitors’ own defense has proven to be leaky, and silencing a seemingly unstoppable Kylian Mbappé feels rather unlikely.
Prediction: Real Madrid 3–1 Celta Vigo
