Celta de Vigo – Barcelona: Balaídos Win, Three Points Behind Real Madrid (2-4)
Barcelona edged past Celta Vigo at Balaídos, capitalizing on Real Madrid's draw at Vallecas to reduce the deficit to three points before the international break. Robert Lewandowski returned to practice his traditional habit, banking a hat-trick in one of Barcelona's best performances in the 2025/26 season.
Tactical analysis and match report by Achraf Lamdarhri.
After the UEFA Champions League draw against Club Brugge, question marks resurfaced concerning Hansi Flick's highline and offside trap. The one point gained in Belgium saw Barcelona sit in eleventh place in the UCL table with seven points. The German manager asserted that he is reluctant to change his playing style, highlighting that the Catalans are not at the required level to compete. Hansi Flick stated that the lack of intensity in the front lines makes it harder for the backline to defend against quick attacks.
In the buildup to the game, Celta Vigo claimed their third win in a row against Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League. Consequently, Claudio Giráldez's team clung to fourth place in the competition. Nonetheless, Celta Vigo's run in La Liga is not promising, as their international participation is. The Balaídos team had won only two times since the start of the season, whereas their draw frequency skyrocketed with seven stalemates.
Claudio Giráldez started with a 3-4-3 formation. Marcus Alonso Manu Fernández sat alongside Carl Starfelt. Sergio Carreira and Oscar Mingueza operated as wingbacks, with Hugo Sotelo and Ilaix Moriba forming the double pivots. Pablo Durán and Ferran Jutglà filled the attacking midfielders' spots behind the striker, Borja Iglesias.
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