Two clubs in the bottom half of the Spanish Liga BBVA table will do battle today in a league match between Celta Vigo and Málaga. The first-division battle scheduled for 4 p.m. ET will be held at the Balaídos in Vigo and can be live streamed here free.
Celta Vigo enter today's match fresh off a 1-0 victory away at Levante last weekend. Even in victory, however, club manager Luís Enrique managed to stir a bit of controversy after benching full-back Hugo Mallo. The 22-year-old has started in every match he's appeared in this season, but found himself on the bench for the Galician side, something he intends to use as motiviation (h/t to Inside Spanish Football). "It doesn't come as a surprise being a substitute, because the level of this team is very high," Mallo said.
"More so, I think that it's been good for me to be rested and to keep myself switched on."
"It was a change that will help me keep working hard, keep improving and to show that I'm not guaranteed a place in the team, because there's other players here that can replace me. It's no surprise that anyone else can come into the side and do well."
Will Mallo return to the starting lineup when Málaga visit Celta Vigo this afternoon? Tell us @SportsWN
Tactical Preview
Player to Watch: Celta Vigo's Rafinha has been a stalwart in the club's midfield. The 21-year-old Spaniard enters today's match completing 82.2 percent of his passes and contributing nearly two key passes per match.
Celta Vigo's Projected Lineup (4-3-3): Yoel; Jonny, López, Fontás, Mallo; Rafinha, Oubiña, Fernández; Orellana, Charles, Nolito
Málaga's Projected Lineup (4-2-3-1): Caballero; Eliseu, Wligton, Ferreira, Sánchez; Camacho, Darder; Samuel, Duda, Amrabat; Cruz
Spanish Liga BBVA Table
|
RNK |
TEAM |
GP |
W |
D |
L |
GF |
GA |
GD |
PTS |
|||
|
1 |
Real Madrid |
28 |
22 |
4 |
2 |
77 |
26 |
51 |
70 |
|||
|
2 |
Atlético Madrid |
28 |
21 |
4 |
3 |
64 |
21 |
43 |
67 |
|||
|
3 |
FC Barcelona |
28 |
21 |
3 |
4 |
81 |
22 |
59 |
66 |
|||
|
4 |
Athletic Club |
28 |
15 |
7 |
6 |
51 |
32 |
19 |
52 |
|||
|
5 |
Real Sociedad |
28 |
13 |
7 |
8 |
49 |
39 |
10 |
46 |
|||
|
6 |
Villarreal CF |
28 |
13 |
6 |
9 |
48 |
34 |
14 |
45 |
|||
|
7 |
Sevilla FC |
28 |
12 |
8 |
8 |
51 |
43 |
8 |
44 |
|||
|
8 |
Valencia CF |
28 |
10 |
6 |
12 |
39 |
39 |
0 |
36 |
|||
|
9 |
RCD Espanyol |
28 |
10 |
6 |
12 |
32 |
34 |
-2 |
36 |
|||
|
10 |
Levante UD |
28 |
9 |
9 |
10 |
26 |
35 |
-9 |
36 |
|||
|
11 |
Celta de Vigo |
28 |
9 |
6 |
13 |
33 |
39 |
-6 |
33 |
|||
|
12 |
Granada CF |
28 |
9 |
4 |
15 |
27 |
39 |
-12 |
31 |
|||
|
13 |
Elche CF |
28 |
7 |
9 |
12 |
24 |
40 |
-16 |
30 |
|||
|
14 |
Málaga CF |
28 |
7 |
8 |
13 |
26 |
36 |
-10 |
29 |
|||
|
15 |
Osasuna |
28 |
8 |
5 |
15 |
24 |
48 |
-24 |
29 |
|||
|
16 |
Rayo Vallecano |
28 |
9 |
2 |
17 |
32 |
62 |
-30 |
29 |
|||
|
17 |
Getafe CF |
28 |
7 |
7 |
14 |
26 |
45 |
-19 |
28 |
|||
|
18 |
Real Valladolid |
28 |
5 |
11 |
12 |
30 |
48 |
-18 |
26 |
|||
|
19 |
UD Almería |
28 |
7 |
5 |
16 |
27 |
52 |
-25 |
26 |
|||
|
20 |
Real Betis |
28 |
4 |
7 |
17 |
23 |
56 |
-33 |
19 |
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