After securing a spot in the Champions League semifinals, Barcelona turn their sights back to the La Liga title race as they host Celta Vigo on Saturday.
The lead atop the domestic table stands at four points as the Catalan giants begin a daunting upcoming fixture list with multiple huge games on the horizon.
After this match and another home league game against Mallorca on Tuesday, Barcelona must then navigate the meeting with Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final next weekend followed closely by their two-legged European semifinal against Inter Milan. Sprinkle in another El Clasico in league play in mid-May, and the schedule becomes even more daunting.
It has caused Barcelona boss Hansi Flick to speak out against the taxing schedule construction of modern football, saying, “I’ve never experienced a schedule like this, we have no time to rest,” while attacking the powers that be for having “no idea” what they’re going through.
Despite all that, they cannot look past Celta Vigo, who are seventh in the table and searching for a European place next season. With Spain now confirmed to get five spots in next season’s Champions League, they have a real shot at playing in Europe somewhere next campaign.
The Sporting News runs through the latest team news and injury updates for both sides as the match draws nearer.
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Barcelona vs. Celta Vigo lineups, predicted starting 11, team news
While first-choice goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen has returned to Barcelona training following his early-season ACL tear, a report by Spanish publication Sport has definitively claimed that Hansi Flick has decided Wojciech Szczesny will remain the starter the rest of the season.
Because Barcelona would have to de-register Sczcesny for ter Stegen to play in the Champions League, Flick has decided to remain loyal to Szczesny, who came out of retirement to cover for ter Stegen’s long-term injury. Since it would upset the balance to split goalkeeping duties between the two across league and European fronts, he will instead keep the status quo intact, leaving ter Stegen as backup in league play and unregistered for Europe.
Beyond that, it’s unclear how Flick will choose to rotate his squad with the Copa del Rey final and Champions League semifinals on the horizon. The league title is far from wrapped, but he could still give stars Raphinha, Lamine Yamal, or Robert Lewandowski some rest, with the latter more likely to sit and be replaced by fellow in-form forward Ferran Torres.
Alex Balde has picked up a hamstring injury and will miss a few weeks, leaving him a doubt for the Copa del Rey final and UCL matches.
Barcelona predicted XI (4-2-3-1, right to left): Szczesny (GK) — Kounde, Cubarsi, I. Martinez, Martin — de Jong, Pedri — Lamine Yamal, F. Lopez, Raphinha — F. Torres.
Injured: Casado (knee), Balde (hamstring), Bernal (ACL).
Suspended: None.
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Celta Vigo are without defensive leader Carl Starfelt, who leads the team in minutes this season but picked up a hamstring injury early in last week’s match against Espanyol and will miss the next few weeks. Stepping in could be 24-year-old Carlos Dominguez who is a Celta Vigo youth product but has seen less time in his second full senior season.
Otherwise, they squad is fully fit, with former Barcelona player Marcos Alonso playing a key role this campaign as the next-highest minutes accumulator amongst outfield players after Starfelt.
Celta Vito predicted XI (3-4-3, right to left): Guaita (GK) — J. Rodriguez, Dominguez, Alonso — Carreira, Beltran, Moriba, Mingueza — Aspas, Iglesias, A. Gonzalez.
Injured: None.
Suspended: None.
Barcelona vs. Celta Vigo live stream, TV channel
Here’s how to watch this La Liga match across selected areas of the world’s major regions:
| Date | Time | TV channel | Streaming | |
| USA | Sat, Apr. 19 | 10:15 a.m. ET / 7:15 a.m. PT | ESPN Deportes | Fubo USA, ESPN+ |
| Canada | Sat, Apr. 19 | 10:15 a.m. ET / 7:15 a.m. PT | TSN2 | TSN+ |
| UK | Sat, Apr. 19 | 3:15 p.m. BST | — | Premier Player, LaLigaTV |
| Australia | Sun, Apr. 20 | 2:15 a.m. AEST | beIN Sports 2 | beIN Sports Connect |
| India | Sat, Apr. 19 | 7:45 p.m. IST | — | GXR World |
