Real Madrid Hosts Celta Vigo in Must-Win La Liga Clash

Madrid, Spain – Real Madrid faces a critical match against Celta Vigo on May 4. After disappointments in both the Copa del Rey final and the Champions League quarterfinals, Los Blancos must secure a victory to keep their La Liga title hopes alive. They sit four points behind league leaders Barcelona, making this clash essential for their quest for silverware.

Carlo Ancelotti‘s side, already depleted with several injured players, aims to rebound. Following their recent Copa del Rey loss to Barcelona, they lost key players Antonio Rüdiger and David Alaba for the rest of the season, joining Eduardo Camavinga, Éder Militão, and Dani Carvajal on the sidelines. Additionally, Aurélien Tchouaméni will be pressed into emergency center back duties.

Celta Vigo comes into this match on an upward trajectory, recently defeating Villarreal and sitting seventh in the league. They have not beaten Real Madrid in La Liga since 2017, with Madrid winning their last 10 encounters, including a 5-2 victory in the Copa del Rey this season.

Last week, Real Madrid captured a narrow win against Getafe but must improve their attack, having scored substantially fewer goals than Barcelona. Ancelotti emphasized the need for clean sheets, noting, “We have allowed goals in four of our last six matches.” The pressure for better performance falls heavily on players like Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior, expected to lead the attack.

Celta’s head coach Claudio Giráldez will rely on Borja Iglesias, who is in good form after scoring multiple goals in recent matches. However, they will miss Carl Starfelt due to injury, while Jones El-Abdellaoui is doubtful.

The match kicks off at 1 PM local time at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, where Madrid hopes to turn things around and keep pace with Barcelona in the title race. Ancelotti will address his future post-season but focuses solely on the upcoming matches.

“I’ll talk about my future on May 25, and not before,” Ancelotti stated, maintaining focus on the present. With European football on the line for Celta, both teams have much to play for.