Our prediction for this Primera Division match:
Celta Vigo and Almeria face each other at Estadio de Balaidos in the opening match of Sunday’s program. Os Celeste have been scoring goals for fun of late, and they are likely to stick to their attacking style of play. As always, a man to watch in the home team will be Iago Aspas, who represented Spain in the EURO 2024 qualifiers, while Agustin Marchesin misses out with an ACL injury. Oscar Mingueza will be assessed ahead of the kick-off.
The visitors, on the other hand, played out a 1-1 draw with Cadiz before the international break. Almeria often struggle on the travels, and given Celta’s fine form in March, we do not believe that the visitors are capable of grabbing something from the match. Defender Sergio Akieme is back from suspension, while Inigo Eguaras is banned for the match. Both Sergio Akieme and El Bilal Toure miss out with injuries.
Highlighted Player (Hugo Mallo):
Hugo Mallo is a Spanish footballer who plays for Celta Vigo as a full back. Mallo, who is a capable of playing at centre back if needed, was born in Marin on 22 June, 1991 and he has been playing for Os Celeste since 2009.
During his youth career Hugo Mallo played for the likes of Porvir and Pontevedra, but he made the biggest progress at Celta Vigo. The Celta defender has three caps for Spain U21 team and he played for the U19 and the U20 teams as well in the past. On 9 January, 2013, Mallo suffered a serious knee injury and, as a result, he was forced to miss the rest of the season.
The right-footed player has a contract with Celta Vigo which expires on 30 June, 2019. You should bear in mind that he scored one goal in 34 appearances for the Galician outfit in the 2015/2016 Primera Division campaign. In the 2014/2015 campaign he scored four goals for Celta in the national championship.
Highlighted Team (Almeria):
UD Almeria is a Spanish club based in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Los Rojiblancos are one of the newer additions to the Spanish football system, with the club being founded on July 26, 1989.
Almeria suffered relegation to Segunda Division in the 2014/15 season, and they have been competing in the Spanish second tier ever since. Los Rojiblancos are well known for their white shirts with red stripes, while blue is the dominant colour of their away jersey. Sofiane Feghouli, Felipe Melo, Diego Alves, Veljko Paunovic, Aleix Vidal, Alvaro Negredo, Tomer Hemed, and Mate Bilic are some notable footballers who played for Almeria in the past. Fellow Andalusian clubs Sevilla, Malaga, and Granada are considered the club’s fiercest rivals.
The club’s biggest success in Copa del Rey came in the 2010/11 season when they made it to the semis of the prestigious competition. Nonetheless, Catalan giants Barcelona proved to be a big catch for Almeria in the Spanish Cup semi-finals.