Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Spanish La Liga match.
At the start of the current season, Villarreal and Celta are delighting fans with exciting football filled with dangerous moments. It’s clear that the match kicking off the new round of La Liga will bring plenty of goal-scoring opportunities on both ends of the pitch.
Villarreal
A challenging opening schedule did not prevent Villarreal from taking four points out of a possible six against Atlético Madrid (2:2) and Sevilla (2:1). On Friday, Villarreal defeated Sevilla— doing so with 1.16 xG while conceding 1.41 xGA. Newcomers have once again made a significant impact: Arnaut Danjuma, back in La Liga, has scored in two consecutive games, and in injury time, Ayoze Pérez delivered the decisive goal. Villarreal is keeping their entire squad sharp.
Celta
After the first two rounds, only Barcelona and Celta have secured maximum points, with Celta leading the table on goal difference. At home against Valencia (3:1), the team had a stellar 35 minutes during which they scored three times and didn’t convert a penalty. Overall, Celta created 1.77 xG against Valencia—the 3-4-3 formation allowed them to attack effectively.
Villarreal - Celta Prediction
In this match, Villarreal is the favourite according to the odds. However, we disagree, as they have been inconsistent in defence and additionally lost key defender Eric Bailly to injury. Both teams attack well and score at least two goals in their matches.
