Sestao River vs Celta Vigo Prediction 07.12.2023

• Competition: Spain &— Copa del Rey
• Date: Thursday, 7th, December 2023
• Kickoff: 20:00 UTC / 21.00 CET
• Venue: Estadio Las Llanas (Sestao)

On Thursday, Celta Vigo, who are currently struggling in LaLiga, will travel to the Basque Country to play against third-tier team, Sestao River, in the second round of the Copa del Rey at Estadio Las Llanas.

Having climbed back up to the third tier as Segunda Federacion &— Grupo II champions, Sestao is now facing the real threat of relegation unless they can turn things around in the upcoming weeks. The Basque club is currently having a particularly poor start to their return season. Worse still, it echoes the challenges they faced in the 2016-17 season, which resulted in their relegation to a lower division. The team, dressed in green and black, are currently third from the bottom in their division. They have only managed to gain a measly 11 points from their first 15 games, leaving them in a precarious position with a five-point gap separating them from the 15th place &— the last safe spot from relegation.

As they prepare to face Celta on Thursday, the third-tier team is fully aware of the quality of their opponents but remains undeterred. Celta, who barely managed to retain their LaLiga status last season, has had a disappointing run this year. This is hardly surprising considering their struggles from the previous season. With this being the centenary year of their establishment, the Galician team may be bidding farewell to the top tier after a 12-year stint, given their recent poor performances that don’t inspire much hope. Currently struggling in the Spanish LaLiga, the Sky Blues have managed a single victory, garnering a mere total of nine points. This puts them in the 18th position, just two points shy of the safety zone.

Sestao River vs Celta Vigo Betting Tips: Celta to Win

Despite both teams facing challenges in their domestic leagues, Celta is clearly the stronger side on paper and is expected to validate its prowess and proceed to the Copa del Rey Round of 16. Even with their latest LaLiga win dating back to early September, when they defeated Almeria 3-2, the Galician club has made an impressive start in their Spanish Cup campaign, demolishing lower-tier team Turegano 4-0. They hope to duplicate this success on Thursday evening. Given the current state of their league performance, the cup competition serves as a restorative tonic for the Sky Blues, also offering them a chance to rejuvenate their aspirations.

Celta is keenly aware that opportunities to build confidence, such as this midweek clash, ahead of a tough away game at Rayo Vallecano are rare and they will aim to maximize it. It’s also difficult to envision Sestao posing a threat to the LaLiga team, given their poor offensive record this season, scoring just six times in their first 15 games, making them the lowest scoring team in both Primera Federacion divisions. Considering the Balaidos club’s zero tolerance for significant errors, as shown by the ultimatum given to Rafael Benitez, and given Sestao’s lackluster attack, a win for Celta in this match is a likely outcome.