Celta Vigo vs Real Madrid, La Liga: Preview, betting odds and possible XI

Neymar & Fabian Orellana — Celta Vigo stunned Barcelona 4-1 at Balaidos in September Reuters

Celta Vigo have a rare opportunity to move top of the La Liga standings when they host Real Madrid at Balaidos on 24 October.

Overview

Celta Vigo and Real Madrid are the only unbeaten teams left in La Liga and are merely separated by goal difference at the top of the table. The Galicians will hope they can produce a repeat of the home performance that saw champions Barcelona vanquished 4-1 last month.

Celta coach Eduardo Berizzo has Andreu Fontas and Dejan Drazic available for selection after the duo recovered from injuries. Goalkeeper Ruben Blanco is still sidelined.

La Liga leaders Real Madrid only have two days to recover from their midweek trip to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, which ended in a goalless draw. Rafael Benitez's side have only conceded one goal in their last five matches and will hope to secure another shutout with several key attacking players out injured.

Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, James Rodriguez all remain sidelined, but defenders Pepe and Dani Carvajal may feature.

What managers say

Eduardo Berizzo: "We're happy to have beaten a team like Villarreal, who equalised, despite being a man down, but our quality and drive gave us the win. Our objectives will not change every seven days, even if we think we can beat anybody on any pitch because we're a solid team who work hard and pose our opponents a lot of problems."

Rafael Benitez: "I was convinced the team was going to do well [against Paris Saint-Germain], I knew they were doing their best and willing to win the game. We had chances to do it, took control of the game and even had more shots on goal. As a coach I am satisfied as the players played a great game."

Form guide