Preview: Racing de Santander vs. Celta Vigo - prediction, team news, lineups

Campos de Sport de El Sardinero volition play big to an intriguing clash successful the Copa del Rey connected Sunday afternoon, arsenic Segunda Division outfit Racing de Santander invited La Liga squad Celta Vigo.

Racing are presently 3rd successful Spain's 2nd tier, with the squad pushing for a instrumentality to the apical flight, portion Celta beryllium 11th successful La Liga, and the visitors person been victorious successful 3 of their past 4 matches successful each competitions.

Match preview

© Imago

Racing person been absent from La Liga since the 2011-12 campaign, spending clip successful the 3rd tier since then, but they are present challenging for a instrumentality to Spain's apical formation for the 2025-26 campaign.

Indeed, the Green and Whites are presently 3rd successful the Segunda Division table, picking up 38 points from their opening 21 matches of the campaign, which has near them conscionable 1 constituent down leaders Almeria.

Jose Alberto Lopez's broadside are really without a triumph successful their past 4 league matches, with their past occurrence coming successful the erstwhile circular of the Copa del Rey, beating Sporting Gijon 1-0 connected location ungraded astatine the commencement of December.

Racing person not really been past the last-32 signifier of the Copa del Rey since making the quarter-finals successful 2013-14, but they volition fancy their chances of making this a hard duty for their top-flight opponents.

© Imago

Celta, meanwhile, entered the wintertime interruption successful Spain disconnected the backmost of an awesome 2-0 triumph implicit Real Sociedad, with the effect moving them into 11th spot successful the La Liga table, boasting 24 points from their opening 18 matches.

The Sky Blues are lone 1 constituent down seventh-placed Real Sociedad and person been an fantabulous ticker this season, scoring 27 times successful Spain's apical formation and conceding 28.

Claudio Giraldez's broadside person already scored 12 times successful the Copa del Rey this season, beating UD San Pedro 5-1 successful the archetypal circular earlier signaling a 7-0 triumph implicit Salamanca UDS successful the 2nd circular astatine the commencement of December.

Celta person ne'er won the Copa del Rey, but they person been the runners-up connected 3 erstwhile occasions, including successful 2000-01, losing 3-1 to Real Zaragoza successful the last of the contention astatine Estadio de La Cartuja.

The Sky Blues person really won their past six matches successful the Copa del Rey, portion they person been contiguous successful the semi-finals doubly and the quarter-finals erstwhile successful the past 9 seasons.

Racing de Santander Copa del Rey form:

Racing de Santander signifier (all competitions):

Celta Vigo Copa del Rey form:

Celta Vigo signifier (all competitions):

Team News

© Imago

Racing caput manager Lopez could sanction the aforesaid broadside that took to the tract for the archetypal whistle against Sporting Gijon successful the 2nd circular of the contention astatine the commencement of past month.

Junior Lake has lone scored erstwhile successful 15 appearances this season, but determination is expected to beryllium a spot successful the last 3rd of the tract for the 34-year-old, portion Suleiman Camara is besides apt to commencement for the second-tier outfit.

As for Celta, Javi Manquillo volition miss retired with an ankle problem, portion Joseph Aidoo, Jailson and Mihailo Ristic are doubts.

Jonathan Bamba and Hugo Sotelo were some absent against Real Sociedad past clip retired done injury, but the brace are expected to beryllium cleared to diagnostic successful the Copa del Rey fixture.

Head manager Giraldez volition ringing the changes from the team's past match, with Franco Cervi, Ivan Villar and Williot Swedberg among those acceptable to start, but antiaircraft absentees mean that the likes of Javi Rodriguez and Carl Starfelt are apt to beryllium successful the starting side.

Alfon Gonzalez and Tasos Douvikas could diagnostic arsenic the beforehand two, with Iago Aspas and Borja Iglesias apt to beryllium kept successful reserve.

Racing de Santander imaginable starting lineup:
Parera; Sangalli, Mantilla, Salinas, S Garcia; Arevalo, Gueye; Camara, Zenitagoia, Rodriguez; Junior

We say: Racing de Santander 1-2 Celta Vigo

This is simply a fascinating match, arsenic Racing person had a beardown run successful the Segunda Division, and determination is nary question that the hosts person the tools to harm Celta connected Sunday. That said, the Sky Blues volition beryllium capable to telephone upon the greater quality, and we are expecting the visitors to navigate their mode into the circular of 16 this weekend.

For information investigation of the astir apt results, scorelines and much for this lucifer please click here.

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