Celta Vigo vs Athletic Club
Athletic Club double downs Celta Vigo
Berenguer and Navarro strike early to secure a solid away win.
Athletic Club stunned the home crowd at Celta Vigo with two quickfire goals from Álex Berenguer and Robert Navarro inside the first 22 minutes, setting the tone for a 2-0 victory. Despite Fipster's high confidence in a Celta Vigo win, the visitors' early dominance defied expectations and left the home side scoreless.
Outcome probability
The new La Liga season kicks off with an intriguing fixture between Celta Vigo and Athletic Club, two sides eager to make their mark. Both teams finished last season with solid campaigns, and now they face off to set the tone for 2026-27. Expect tactical discipline and a keen battle for early points.
Key facts
- 1.Celta Vigo finished last season ranked 6th in La Liga with 54 points.
- 2.Athletic Club ended last season 12th with 45 points.
- 3.Celta Vigo had a significantly better goal difference (+20) than Athletic Club last season.
- 4.The predicted halftime score is 1-0 in favour of Celta Vigo.
- 5.The expected fulltime score is 2-0 to Celta Vigo.
- 6.Approximately four cards are anticipated during the match.
- 7.This fixture marks the start of the 2026-27 La Liga season.
The context
Celta Vigo enter this match with a higher league ranking and a notably better goal difference than Athletic Club from last season. This suggests a slight edge in quality and consistency. Athletic Club, known as Los Leones, will be looking to prove their mettle and upset the odds, but the visitors face a tough challenge against a well-organised Celta side.
Analysis
The prediction leans heavily towards a home win, with Celta Vigo expected to take control early, reflected in a likely 1-0 lead at halftime. Their superior goal difference and league position from last season underpin this forecast. Athletic Club will need to be cautious defensively to avoid conceding twice, as Celta's attacking threat is anticipated to be decisive.
Prediction
We foresee Celta Vigo securing a 2-0 victory by fulltime, building on a 1-0 halftime advantage. The match is also expected to be competitive in terms of discipline, with around four cards likely to be shown. This scoreline aligns well with the teams' comparative strengths and last season's performances.
The verdict
In summary, Celta Vigo look poised to start their campaign with a solid win over Athletic Club. The home side's edge in quality and goal difference should see them through comfortably, setting a positive tone for the season ahead. Los Leones will need to regroup quickly after this setback to bounce back in their next fixtures.
Form as the teams went into this match — excludes this result and anything since.
Team Comparison
Season shape — attack, defence, form, clean sheets & win rate
Home vs Away comparison
Goal difference in each of the last few fixtures — above the line is a net win, below is a net loss
Season comparison
Goals scored & conceded, goal difference and clean sheets across the season
Halftime Performance
What each side does once the whistle goes for half time
Streaks
Recent-form runs — each side’s most-recent game meets in the middle
Head to Head
Álex Berenguer
Assist: Williams
Robert Navarro
Assist: Ruíz de Galarreta
Faye
González
Moriba
Javi Rodríguez
Yuri
Yellow Card
Swedberg
Robert Navarro
Yellow Card
Ruíz de Galarreta
Williams
Sancet
Gerenabarrena
Yellow Card
Robert Navarro
Areso
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Barcelona | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | +10 | 9 |
| 12 |  Espanyol | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | +1 | 3 |
| 13 |  Athletic Club | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 3 |
| 14 |  Getafe | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -3 | 3 |
| 15 |  Villarreal | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | -1 | 2 |
| 16 |  Celta Vigo | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -3 | 2 |
| 17 |  Valencia | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -3 | 1 |
Match Statistics
Celta Vigo
3-4-3Starting XI
- 2C. StarfeltD
- 4A. FayeD
- 5Sergio CarreiraM
- 6I. MoribaM
- 9Ferran JutglàF
- 13I. RaduG
- 14Aleix FebasM
- 15Álvaro NúñezM
- 16Hugo GonzálezF
- 19W. SwedbergF
- 20Javi RodríguezD
Substitutes
- 1A. BayındırG
- 8Miguel RománM
- 10Iago AspasF
- 11Pablo DuránF
- 17Javi RuedaD
- 22Javi GalánD
- 23Hugo ÁlvarezM
- 28Andrés AntañónM
- 29Yoel LagoD
- 30H. BurcioM
- 39J. El AbdellaouiF
Athletic Club
4-2-3-1Starting XI
- 1Unai SimónG
- 4Aitor ParedesD
- 7Álex BerenguerM
- 8Oihan SancetM
- 9I. WilliamsF
- 12Jesús AresoD
- 14Aymeric LaporteD
- 16Ruíz de GalarretaM
- 17YuriD
- 23Robert NavarroM
- 24Beñat GerenabarrenaM
Substitutes
- 5YerayD
- 10Nico WilliamsF
- 11Gorka GuruzetaF
- 13Álex PadillaG
- 15Hugo RincónD
- 18Mikel JauregizarM
- 19A. BoiroD
- 20Alejandro RegoM
- 21Maroan SannadiF
- 25Álvaro DjalóF
- 28Peio CanalesM
- 31J. Louis-JeanD
Celta Vigo
| Player | Pos | Min | Rating | G | A | Shots | SoT | Key Passes | Dribbles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ionuț Radu | G | 92 | 8.3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Álvaro Núñez | M | 92 | 7.0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — |
| Ferrán Jutglà | F | 92 | 6.9 | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | 0/2 |
| Williot Swedberg | F | 57 | 6.7 | — | — | 2 | 2 | — | — |
| Hugo González | F | 45 | 6.6 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — |
| Carl Starfelt(C) | D | 92 | 6.6 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — |
| Ilaix Moriba | M | 45 | 6.5 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sergio Carreira | M | 92 | 6.5 | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — |
| Javi Rodríguez | D | 45 | 6.2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Abdoulaye Faye | D | 45 | 6.2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Aleix Febas | M | 92 | 6.2 | — | — | — | — | — | 0/2 |
| Substitutes | |||||||||
| Pablo Durán | F | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Javi Galán | D | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Hugo Burcio | M | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Andrés Antañón | M | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jones El-Abdellaoui | F | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Altay Bayındır | G | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Miguel Román | M | 47 | 7.2 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1/1 |
| Yoel Lago | D | 47 | 7.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Iago Aspas | F | 47 | 6.9 | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | 1/1 |
| Javier Rueda | D | 47 | 6.9 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — |
| Hugo Álvarez | M | 35 | 6.5 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Athletic Club
| Player | Pos | Min | Rating | G | A | Shots | SoT | Key Passes | Dribbles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Álex Berenguer | M | 92 | 8.2 | 1 | — | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1/4 |
| Robert Navarro | M | 74 | 7.6 | 1 | — | 2 | 2 | — | 1/2 |
| Unai Simón | G | 92 | 7.3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Beñat Gerenabarrena | M | 92 | 7.2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Iñigo Ruiz de Galarreta | M | 65 | 7.2 | — | 1 | 1 | — | 3 | — |
| Yuri Berchiche | D | 92 | 7.0 | — | — | 2 | — | 3 | 1/1 |
| Aitor Paredes | D | 92 | 7.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jesús Areso | D | 86 | 6.9 | — | — | — | — | 2 | — |
| Aymeric Laporte | D | 92 | 6.9 | — | — | 2 | — | — | 0/1 |
| Iñaki Williams(C) | F | 65 | 6.7 | — | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0/1 |
| Oihan Sancet | M | 65 | 6.3 | — | — | 3 | 2 | — | 1/2 |
| Substitutes | |||||||||
| Maroan Sannadi | F | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Alex Padilla | G | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Johaneko Louis Jean | D | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Yeray Álvarez | D | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Adama Boiro | D | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Alejandro Rego Mora | M | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Hugo Rincón | D | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Álvaro Djaló | F | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Peio Canales | M | 27 | 6.7 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Mikel Jauregizar | M | 27 | 6.3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Nico Williams | F | 18 | 6.3 | — | — | 2 | — | — | 0/2 |
| Gorka Guruzeta | F | 27 | 6.2 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0/1 |