Celta Vigo vs Barcelona: A Must Win for the Blaugrana

I have 4 major reasons why.

First, the international break. Several Barcelona players left to represent their countries. Pedri, Olmo, Cubarsi, and Casado were called up to the Spanish National Team. This was Casado's first appearance and boy, was it something. 

The midfielder put in an excellent display against Denmark and especially against Switzerland, with the latter earning him the Man of the Match award.

Kounde played for France in their matches against Israel and Italy. Raphinha represented Brazil, scoring an excellent free-kick against Venezuela and helping Brazil draw against Uruguay.

Frenkie de Jong joined the Netherlands squad, playing against Hungary but missing the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

Raphinha scores a free-kick against Venezuela (Photo by FC Barcelona)

All in all, Barcelona players contributed well to their national teams and returned with no injuries. The upcoming match against Celta Vigo will be a great way to carry that form into the rest of the fixtures this month and for the rest of the year.

Secondly, we have to look back at that disappointing game against Real Sociedad. Zero shots on target for the entire 90 minutes. That night, I had just returned from a program and I was very tired but I stayed up to watch the match. I gave up in the 77th minute.

That game gave me—and a lot of fans—flashbacks to the past seasons when watching Barcelona play was as pleasant as sitting on a pin cushion. A resounding win against Celta Vigo will help bolster the team's confidence and our chances of winning the league.

Full-time against Real Sociedad (Photo by FC Barcelona)

The third reason why this match is a must-win for Barcelona is because of the absence of the magical Lamine Yamal. This season, in the league, Barcelona has only lost two matches. The only two matches where Lamine did not start or was not part of the squad list.

In the 4-2 loss against Osasuna, Lamine came off the bench to score one of Barcelona's two goals, proving his importance in Barca's attack. And of course, in the 1-0 loss at Real Sociedad, he was left out of the squad list due to an ankle injury.

While we all acknowledge that Lamine is an integral part of Barca's squad, a firm win at Celta Vigo will show the Barcelona team, the fans, and the rest of the footballing world that the Blaugrana can pull off impressive wins without the 17-year-old.

And of course, we cannot forget our major rivals in the title race. Real Madrid is sitting second on the La Liga table, six points below Barcelona, with a game in hand. They play Leganes on Sunday, a match they are almost certain to win. 

Part of winning a league is winning the games that you are supposed to win, the so-called easy games. The match against Celta should be an easy game and it will serve as further proof that Barcelona is the most in-form team in Europe right now.

What are your predictions for the match?