As La Liga’s title race heats up, all eyes turn to the Santiago Bernabéu on Sunday, December 7, 2025, where Real Madrid host Celta Vigo in a pivotal Matchday 15 clash. Kicking off at 9:00 PM CET (3:00 PM ET), this fixture pits the reigning champions—currently second and just one point behind leaders Barcelona—against a resilient Celta side sitting 12th with 16 points from 14 games. With Real Madrid aiming to extend their unbeaten league run to nine matches and Celta seeking to exploit their strong away form, this could be a goal-fest. Dive into our comprehensive Real Madrid vs Celta Vigo preview, score predictions, and potential lineups.
Real Madrid’s Form: Back on Track After a Rocky Patch
Real Madrid enter this matchup refreshed after a morale-boosting 3-0 away victory over Athletic Club on December 3, snapping a frustrating three-game La Liga draw streak against Rayo Vallecano, Elche, and Girona. Kylian Mbappé stole the show with a brace and an assist for Eduardo Camavinga’s header, underscoring the French superstar’s blistering form—he’s netted 16 league goals in 15 appearances this season. Overall, Los Blancos have won eight of their last nine league games, boasting a perfect home record with six wins from six at the renovated Bernabéu, where they’ve scored 14 goals.
Under Xabi Alonso, Madrid’s attack remains lethal, averaging 2.19 goals per game, but defensive injuries to Daniel Carvajal, David Alaba, Ferland Mendy, and Trent Alexander-Arnold have forced rotations. The joint-best defense in La Liga (13 goals conceded) will be tested, especially with a midweek Champions League showdown against Manchester City looming. Key to their success? Maintaining possession dominance and unleashing the pace of Vinícius Júnior and Mbappé on the flanks.
Celta Vigo’s Form: Away Specialists with Momentum
Celta Vigo arrive in Madrid on the back of mixed results: a 1-0 league loss to Espanyol last weekend, followed by a penalty-shootout win over second-tier Sant Andreu in the Copa del Rey. Despite an underwhelming start (winless until late October), they’ve turned a corner with three wins from their last five across all competitions, climbing to 12th. Notably, all three La Liga victories this season have come away from home, where they’ve earned 11 points from six games—making them one of the division’s surprise road warriors.
Claudio Giraldez’s side has drawn seven of 14 league matches, highlighting their stubbornness but also a lack of cutting edge (16 goals scored, second-highest among bottom-half teams). Injuries to Joseph Aidoo and Mihailo Ristic weaken their backline, but veterans like Iago Aspas (ever-dangerous) and Bryan Zaragoza provide counter-attacking threats. In Europe, Celta sit 10th in the Europa League table with nine points from five games, adding to their growing confidence.
Potential Lineups: Key Battles to Watch
Real Madrid Predicted XI (4-2-3-1)
With injuries forcing tweaks, Xabi Alonso may rotate ahead of the City clash, but the core attacking unit remains intact.
- GK: Thibaut Courtois
- RB: Raúl Asencio (filling in for injured Carvajal)
- CB: Éder Militão
- CB: Antonio Rüdiger
- LB: Álvaro Carreras (covering Mendy)
- CM: Aurélien Tchouaméni
- CM: Federico Valverde
- AM: Arda Güler
- AM: Jude Bellingham
- LW: Vinícius Júnior
- ST: Kyian Mbappé
Celta Vigo Predicted XI (3-4-3)
A near-full squad allows Giraldez to go bold on the counter.
- GK: Ionut Andrei Radu
- CB: Javi Rodríguez
- CB: Carl Starfelt
- CB: Marcos Alonso
- RM: Javi Rueda
- CM: Ilaix Moriba
- CM: Miguel Román
- LM: Sergio Carreira
- RW: Bryan Zaragoza
- ST: Borja Iglesias
- LW: Iago Aspas
Score Predictions: A Comfortable Home Win with Goals
Advanced models and expert analysis point to a Real Madrid victorywith a 69.1% win probability for Los Blancos, 17.3% draw, and just 13.6% for Celta. Given Madrid’s home firepower (14 goals in six games) and the H2H trend (over 2.5 goals in 79% of recent meetings), expect fireworks.
Our Prediction: Real Madrid 3-1 Celta Vigo – Mbappé and Vinícius to score, with Aspas grabbing a consolation on the break
Celta Vigo Real Madrid
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