DomainJava.com – Santander vs Celta Vigo predictions in the Copa Del Rey, Campos de Sport de El Sardinero will host an interesting match in the Copa del Rey on Sunday afternoon, when Segunda Division team Racing de Santander welcomes La Liga team Celta Vigo.
Racing are currently third in the Spanish second division, with the team looking to return to the top flight, while Celta sit 11th in La Liga, and the visitors have won three of their last four games in all competitions.
Racing have been absent from La Liga since the 2011-12 season, spending time in the third division since then, but they are now challenging for a return to the Spanish top flight for the 2025-26 season.
Indeed, the Green and Whites are currently third in the Segunda Division table, picking up 38 points from their opening 21 games of the season, which leaves them just one point behind leaders Almeria.
Jose Alberto Lopez’s men are actually winless in their last four league games, with their last success coming in the previous round of the Copa del Rey, beating Sporting Gijon 1-0 at home in early December.
Racing have not actually gone past the last 32 of the Copa del Rey since reaching the quarter-finals in 2013-14, but they will take their chances to make this a difficult task for their top-flight opponents.
Celta, meanwhile, entered the winter break in Spain with an impressive 2-0 win over Real Sociedad, and the result moved them up to 11th in the La Liga table, having picked up 24 points from their opening 18 games.
The Sky Blues are just one point behind seventh-placed Real Sociedad and have been in superb form this season, scoring 27 goals in Spain’s top flight and conceding 28.
Claudio Giraldez’s team has scored 12 goals in the Copa del Rey this season, beating UD San Pedro 5-1 in the first round before recording a 7-0 win over Salamanca UDS in the second round early last December.
Celta have never won the Copa del Rey, but they have finished runners-up on three previous occasions, including in the 2000-01 season, losing 3-1 to Real Zaragoza in the final of the competition at the Estadio de La Cartuja.
The Sky Blues have actually won their last six matches in the Copa del Rey, while they have been in the semifinals twice and the quarter-finals once in the last nine seasons.
Racing head coach Lopez was able to name the same team that took to the field at the first whistle against Sporting Gijon in the second round of the competition at the start of last month.
Junior Lake has scored just one goal in 15 appearances this season, but the 34-year-old is expected to earn a place in the final third, while Suleiman Camara is also likely to start for the second division side.
Meanwhile for Celta, Javi Manquillo will be absent with an ankle problem, while Joseph Aidoo, Jailson and Mihailo Ristic are doubts.
Jonathan Bamba and Hugo Sotelo were both absent against Real Sociedad last time out due to injury, but both are expected to be cleared to feature in the Copa del Rey clash.
Head coach Giraldez will make changes from the team’s last game, with Franco Cervi, Ivan Villar and Williot Swedberg among those set to start, but the absence of defenders means the likes of Javi Rodriguez and Carl Starfelt are likely to be in the starting line-up.
Alfon Gonzalez and Tasos Douvikas could feature as the two strikers, with Iago Aspas and Borja Iglesias likely to be kept as reserves.
(source: Sportsmole)
Santander vs Celta Vigo Player Predictions
Racing Santander : Opinion; Sangalli, Mantilla, Salinas, S Garcia; Arevalo, Gueye; Camara, Zenitagoia, Rodriguez; Junior
Celta Vigo :Villar; J Rodriguez, Starfelt, Dominguez, Alonso, Swedberg; Cervi, Sotelo, Beltran; Gonzalez, Douvikas
Santander vs Celta Vigo Score Prediction: 1-2
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