Celta Vigo vs Sevilla prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2023-11-03 17:30.
Celta Vigo’s centenary year continued to sink further into misery when losing 1-0 away to high-flying Girona last weekend, ending the round in La Liga’s (LL) relegation zone as a consequence. The move to hand a three-year contract to legendary manager Rafael BenĂtez, who claims to have turned down numerous more lucrative offers for Celta, is now being widely questioned.
BenĂtez was meant to turn last season’s mid-table outfit into a contender for their first European appearance since 2016/17, but instead they’re flirting with the possibility of their stay in the top-flight coming to an end after 12 seasons. He had some right to complain about an 83rd minute goal against Girona being disallowed by match officials – their fourth of the LL season to be struck out by VAR – but that’s no excuse for completing 18 consecutive league games without a clean sheet.
Sevilla know just what their next opponents are going through, having sat at an almost unprecedented 17th place at the end of October 2022. But after another poor start, they have stuck with the tried and tested method of sacking a manager during the season, recently removing José Luis Mendilibar, the man who steered them to survival and the UEFA Europa League title last season. His replacement Diego Alonso is yet to win a competitive match in charge (D2, L1) following a 2-2 draw with fellow bottom-half club Cádiz last time out.
It was the second time in three LL games they salvaged a draw from a two-goal deficit, but Alonso appears to hold his team in a higher regard, describing draws as “not good enough for us”. Alonso and the travelling fans will therefore be demanding their first LL away victory of the season (D2, L2), but perhaps expectations can’t be too high given they’ve already visited lower ranked clubs such as Alavés (L 4-3) and Cádiz without much success.
Players to watch: If they are to defeat Sevilla for the first time in seven attempts (D3, L3), Celta need a big effort from new defender Carl Starfelt, who is yet to enjoy a LL clean sheet at his new club. Similarly, Sevilla winger Lucas Ocampos will be looking for his first goal against Celta in his sixth start after scoring at Cádiz last round.
Hot stat: Both teams scored in all but one of the last eight H2Hs.