Celta Vigo vs. Real Madrid: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream, TV Info

Real Madrid will be playing catch-up on Barcelona again, with the Catalans steaming past rivals Espanyol to move five points clear of their eternal rivals at the top of La Liga.  

Madrid can shrink that gap to two if they beat Celta Vigo at Balaidos, but that's not an easy task.

Los Blancos are in the midst of an injury hailstorm, with Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale and Luka Modric, three first-teamers, all unavailable.

Daniel Ochoa de Olza/Associated Press

However, momentum and morale are with Carlo Ancelotti's side, given they finally overcame city rivals Atletico for the first time in eight games during the week.

It saw Madrid qualify for the Champions League semi-finals and their draw against Juventus puts them in a favourable position to reach the final.

Javier Hernandez will be riding a wave of confidence after scoring the winner against Atletico, and he could be the man to make the difference here.

Paul White/Associated Press

Ronaldo also has the bit between his teeth, hitting his 50th goal of the season in Madrid's last league outing, against Malaga.

Celta Vigo will be no pushovers, though, as they have shown twice this season against Barcelona, winning and losing by 1-0 each time.

Nolito and Joaquin Larrivey are the main threats to Madrid, while Fabian Orellano can also make the difference on his day.

Lalo R. Villar/Associated Press

Predicted Lineups

Celta Vigo: Sergio Alvarez, Hugo Mallo, Gustavo Cabral, Andreu Fontas, Jonny, Michael Krohn-Dehli, Augusto Fernandez, Santi Mina, Fabian Orellana, Nolito, Joaquin Larrivey.

Real Madrid: Iker Casillas, Dani Carvajal, Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane, Marcelo, Toni Kroos, Asier Illarramendi, Isco, James Rodriguez, Javier Hernandez, Cristiano Ronaldo.

Date: Sunday, March 15

Time: 8 p.m. GMT/3 p.m. ET

Venue: Balaidos

TV Info: beIN Sports USA (US only), Sky Sports 5 (UK only)

Live Stream: beIN Sports Connect (US only), Sky Go (UK only)

Paul White/Associated Press

Celta Vigo results (last six games)

W 1-0 away vs. Eibar
W 6-1 home vs. Rayo Vallecano
D 1-1 away vs. Granada
L 1-0 home vs. Barcelona
W 1-0 away vs. Levante
L 2-1 home vs. Athletic Club

Real Madrid results (last six games, Liga unless specified)

W 1-0 home vs. Atletico Madrid (UCL)
W 3-1 home vs. Malaga
D 0-0 away vs. Atletico Madrid (UCL)
W: 3-0 vs. Eibar
W: 2-0 vs. Rayo Vallecano
W: 9-1 home vs. Granada

Paul White/Associated Press

Key Quote

Carlo Ancelotti, per AS: "It’s harder to win the League, because we’re at a disadvantage. Barcelona have the advantage, though it’s only two points. In the Champions League we’re all the same."

Key Battle

Nolito will be up against Dani Carvajal and if he wins that battle, Celta Vigo can be very dangerous indeed.

Against Barcelona the attacking midfielder had the better of Dani Alves and caused the Catalans a lot of damage down the left.

While it eventually came to nothing, Celta Vigo created two or three magnificent chances from that position.

Celta are decent defensively, particularly at home, so the game may be decided by just one or two goals. If one of them is for the hosts, that makes things a whole lot tougher for Madrid.

Paul White/Associated Press

Betting Odds

The following pre-match odds are available via our partner Odds Shark:

Home Win: 8-1

Away Win: 100-303

Draw: 4-1