La Liga: Zaragoza vs. Celta

Last weekend saw a bit of a turnaround for both these teams. Zaragoza, who had gone seven games with a defeat, surprisingly fell to bottom club -and favourites to go back down to the second division- Gimnastic. Celta on the other hand, with new coach hristo Stoitchkov making his debut, won the Galician derby one nil to arch rivals Deportivo (as I predicted, by the way!). This was their first win in six games and their first home win in over six months!
Zaragoza are now three points behind fourth placed Valencia, who have a difficult away game against Real Madrid on Saturday. So when Zaragoza kick off on Sunday they will know the result of the game and if they are three, four or six points behind.
Both teams have a lot to play for -and win for- but for very different reasons. If Celta can sneak a vital away win it would pull them even further out of the relegation zone. For Zaragoza though, maintaining their aspirations for Champions league football -and the money that would bring- is just as important. They also have some very complicated matches coming up: against an in form Racing de Santander, Valencia, Sevilla and Real Madrid. They know that dropping points now could spell disaster at the end of the season.
The outcome of this match will rest on the skill of the individual players and the determination of the team as a whole. It has to be said that Zaragoza’s players are the skilful, especially joint top scorer Diego Milito, and Celta will bring the determination, helped on by manager Stoitchkov, who you do not want to anger. This is actually a very hard game to call. Historically, both clubs are evenly matched, and the result could go either way. I am betting my money on a home win, but a very close home win. Celta lack the talent of the home side, and this I think will be the deciding factor. I do expect to see plenty of goals, though. What with Diego Milito playing so well coupled with Celta’s terrible defending, I think three or even four goals are inevitable. That being said, Celta’s new formation could well pay dividends.