Albacete
- Alberto González’s Albacete are 13th in the Segunda with 22 points from 17 games, which is a solid mid-table position in Spain’s second tier.
- They are a well-disciplined side that are not easily broken down at home, especially in cup ties, with a structured 4-2-3-1 formation that focuses on compactness, patience in possession and the ability to counter-attack at pace.
- Agus Medina is a key midfield scorer for Albacete, but they also have experience and quality in the likes of Antonio Puertas, who brings experience and attacking versatility and will make a difference in transitions and chance creation, and Jon Morcillo and Jefte, who provide additional attacking depth and can create or score goals.
Celta de Vigo
- Celta have 1 win, 1 progression on penalties and 3 defeats in their last 5 competitive matches.
- Claudio Giráldez is more tactically flexible than most and he has found a good balance with Celta this season, mixing possession-based play with periods of intense pressing and high-intensity transitions to break teams down and take advantage of errors when they occur.
- Celta won 2-0 away to Real Madrid last month, but defensive lapses have cost them in other games and their form has been erratic of late.
Head-to-Head
Celta hold the edge over Albacete in 10 previous meetings (Won 4, Drawn 5, Lost 1).
Key Players
Veteran Iago Aspas continues to be the heartbeat of everything they do on the field, leading the line and leading from the front in terms of work rate and leadership, while Williot Swedberg , who scored in the Bernabéu, is the creative spark and late runner that has been a major threat to opponents all season.
Betting Insights
- Celta are 2.17 to win this game, while the home side are available at 3.05.
- Giráldez’s changes in recent weeks have delivered big wins, including the Madrid triumph, but their inconsistency means both teams to score at 1.85 is worth a play in this fixture.
Prediction
- However, cup games are volatile and the hosts will be up for this game in front of their own fans.
- Celta have a busy December and recent injuries mean they may rotate the squad, which increases the chance of defensive errors that Albacete can exploit in this single-leg affair.
- Celta will control the pace and tempo of the game while Albacete will try to keep it close, but the set-piece threat of the hosts should keep the tie close until the final whistle when extra time or penalty kicks could be on the cards.
