It’s been all Real Madrid so far, but Celta’s first venture forward almost produced a clear chance. Nolito’s failure to control the ball in the box gets Los Blancos off the hook.
Vinicius seizes on a defensive mix up, beating goalkeeper Ivan Villar to a loose ball near the corner of the box. Benzema’s shot is blocked however. The Real Madrid players are going through their warm-up routine on the Balaidos turf. Just 25 minutes to go before kick off.
Celta Vigo are having a solid season, and Zidane feels his side must be at their best to get a result.
“We must not forget what we have done so far, on the contrary. We want to continue doing things well. It will be demanding against a great opponent,” he said in Friday’s press conference.
In the reverse fixture, Iago Aspas pulled up injured after a fantastic run of goalscoring form with nine goals, but that figure hasn’t changed since then.
In the two and a half months that have passed, he missed one through injury and was suspended for one game, but he is still yet to break his duck in 2021.
Despite returning to LaLiga action last week, and then scoring in the Champions League on Tuesday, captain Sergio Ramos will sit out the game at Balaidos.
It is nothing for Madrid fans to be worried about however, as Zinedine Zidane is simply leaving him out as a precaution after a lengthy spell on the sidelines.