Who: Real Madrid vs Celta Vigo
What: Spain’s La Liga
Where: Santiago Bernabeu successful Madrid, Spain
When: Sunday, December 7, astatine 9pm (20:00 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll person each the buildup connected Al Jazeera Sport from 17:00 GMT successful beforehand of our substance commentary stream.
Real Madrid volition question lone a 2nd top-flight triumph successful 5 matches erstwhile they entertain Celta Vigo successful La Liga connected Saturday, an accomplishment that would spot them adjacent the spread connected league leaders Barcelona to 1 point.
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It should beryllium a lucifer that sees the grounds Spanish home league winners participate arsenic dense favourites, but their signifier of precocious has allowed Barcelona to leap to the apical of the table, portion opening up questions astir their coach, Xabi Alonso.
Al Jazeera Sport takes a look astatine a crippled wherever Celta’s awesome distant grounds this play could spot them origin an upset, but overmuch of the absorption volition besides beryllium connected Real’s free-scoring forward, Kylian Mbappe.
Why has Mbappe been compared with Real Madrid fable Cristiano Ronaldo?
French superstar Mbappe is adjacent to making past astatine Real Madrid, similar his idol Cristiano Ronaldo, said his coach, Xabi Alonso, connected Saturday.
After finishing past play successful apical signifier and starting the existent run superbly, Mbappe has netted 55 goals with Real Madrid successful 2025, and is conscionable 4 distant from matching the grounds of 59 acceptable successful 2013 by Ronaldo, arsenic the club’s apical scorer successful a calendar year.
Mbappe has been progressively compared with the all-time apical Madrid goalscorer, Ronaldo, by the Spanish property for his increasing power and quality to rack up goals.
“Kylian is connected his mode to making past astatine Real Madrid similar Cristiano did. Not conscionable due to the fact that of the value helium has successful the team, but besides due to the fact that of the ambition helium conveys and the fig of goals helium scores,” Alonso told a quality conference.
“Kylian is 1 of the chosen ones. He has this tendency wrong him not conscionable to bash things well, but besides to person a affirmative power connected others. This is thing helium shares with Cristiano – this contagious ambition that inspires the remainder of the team.”
What are Mbappe’s stats astatine Real Madrid?
Winning the European Golden Shoe and La Liga’s apical scorer grant past play with 31 goals, Mbappe is presently operating astatine an adjacent higher level, with 16 goals scored successful 15 matches played, and 9 successful 5 Champions League games.
Real Madrid look Erling Haaland’s Manchester City successful the Champions League connected December 10, earlier league games against Alaves and Sevilla, giving Mbappe 4 matches to drawback Ronaldo, who Mbappe admits helium had posters of connected his partition arsenic a child.
Portugal planetary Ronaldo scored 450 goals successful 438 matches for Real Madrid, with Mbappe connected 69 goals successful 79 games since joining from Paris Saint-Germain successful 2024.
What happened successful Real Madrid’s past match?
Real’s 3-0 triumph successful La Liga astatine Athletic Bilbao connected Wednesday was seen arsenic 1 of their astir awesome displays this season.
Mbappe scored twice, either broadside of Eduardo Camavinga’s header, to springiness Real a much-needed win, on with a morale-boosting performance.
The triumph handed Real their archetypal La Liga triumph successful 4 games.
Kylian Mbappe of Real Madrid scores his team’s 3rd extremity during the La Liga lucifer against Athletic Bilbao [Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images]How person Real Madrid fared successful La Liga this season?
Having won 13 of the opening 14 games of the season, Real person since won lone doubly successful their past six matches – 1 of those wins coming successful Europe.
How person Celta Vigo fared successful La Liga this season?
Celta had been connected an eight-match unbeaten run, with six wins successful that time, but it came crashing to an extremity with 3 defeats successful their past 4 games.
Despite their respectable mid-table position, Celta were 8 games into the play – of which they mislaid 3 – earlier they yet secured a win. That triumph came successful the Europa League against PAOK Salonika.
In total, determination were 9 La Liga games – 7 of which were drawn – earlier Celta registered their archetypal league triumph of the season, with a 3-2 triumph astatine Osasuna.
What happened the past clip Real Madrid played Celta Vigo?
Real bushed Celta Vigo 3-2 successful La Liga astatine Santiago Bernabeu successful May, successful the past gathering betwixt the sides.
Los Blancos, past nether the absorption of Carlos Ancelotti, stormed into a three-goal lead, acknowledgment to Arda Guler and Kylian Mbappe’s braces.
Javi Rodriguez pulled 1 backmost successful the 69th minute, with Williot Swedberg’s 76th-minute onslaught mounting up a nervy finish.
Real’s cleanable expanse against Celta Vigo past season
Real besides won the La Liga gathering astatine Celta Vigo past season, with Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior scoring either broadside of Swedberg’s onslaught for the location side.
Real besides won a January gathering betwixt the sides successful the Copa del Rey successful January. Mbappe and Vinicius Junior appeared to person acceptable Los Blancos connected their mode to a comfy triumph by Jonathan Bamba’s 83rd-minute strike, and Marcos Alonso’s 90th-minute punishment sent the necktie to other time.
Second-half sub Endrick Federico bagged a brace either broadside of a Federico Valverde extremity to unafraid the 5-2 triumph and debar penalties.
When did Celta Vigo past bushed Real Madrid?
Celta past overcame Real successful 2017, with a 2-1 triumph astatine Santiago Bernabeu successful the archetypal limb of their Copa del Rey quarterfinal. A 2-2 gully successful the instrumentality fixture was capable to spot Celta progress, but their tally was ended successful the semifinals by Alaves.
When did Celta Vigo past bushed Real Madrid successful La Liga?
Celta person not beaten Real successful the league since 2014, erstwhile Brazilian guardant Charles scored some goals successful a 2-0 triumph that ended immoderate accidental of Los Blancos catching cross-city rivals Atletico for the league rubric that season.
Stat attack: Real Madrid
Real’s location grounds successful La Liga this play has seen them triumph each six matches, netting 14 and conceding lone three.
Stat attack: Celta Vigo
Celta’s caller eight-match unbeaten run, with six wins successful that time, came crashing to an extremity with 3 defeats successful their past 4 games.
Celta’s distant grounds successful the league has seen them triumph three, gully 2 and suffer one, which acold outweighs their location return, wherever they are yet to triumph successful this La Liga campaign.
Head-to-head: Real Madrid vs Celta Vigo
This is the 58th gathering betwixt the sides, with Real winning 39 of the matches and Celta winning 12.
Real are unbeaten successful the past 19 meetings betwixt the sides, winning 16.
Real Madrid squad news
Dani Carvajal, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ferland Mendy are each absent owed to injury. Dean Huijsen and David Alaba are besides missing for the sojourn of Celta.
Eduardo Camavinga is simply a uncertainty with a sound to the ankle, but has been named successful the squad.
Celta Vigo squad news
Joseph Aidoo and Mihailo Ristic are doubts owed to injury.
Leading scorer Borja Iglesias, with 8 goals to his sanction this season, volition pb a big of players returning to the side, pursuing the midweek triumph connected penalties against little league Sant Andreu successful the Copa del Rey.
Real Madrid’s predicted starting lineup
Courtois, Asencio, Militao, Rudiger, Carreras, Guler, Valverde, Tchouameni, Bellingham, Vinicius, Mbappe
Celta Vigo predicted starting lineup
Radu, Alonso, Starfelt, J Rodriguez, Rueda, D Rodriguez, Moriba, Carreira, Zaragoza, Iglesias, Aspas

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