Barcelona have faltered a little in recent weeks by their lofty standards, with a defeat in the El Clásico and a 3-3 draw against Club Brugge in the Champions League just bringing into question the sustainability of Barcelona’s approach with their extraordinarily high line.

I do think Barcelona will be able to get back to winning ways, but I think it’ll be a hectic game with the form that Celta Vigo carry into the contest and the high scoring games between these sides last season. Barcelona have won three of their six away games this season, and it is this record that has opened up a five-point gap between Barcelona and Real Madrid after 10 games of the campaign.

Celta Vigo may come into this game with recent momentum, but their overall performances in LaLiga at home this season have been poor. Celta Vigo are yet to win a game at home from six matches, having drawn five of these games. I find it hard to see how Celta Vigo live with the scoring power of Barcelona, seeing as they’ve only netted five goals across their home matches this term.

Barcelona have seen 3+ goals in 14 of their 15 competitive games this season, with the exception being a 1-1 draw against Rayo Vallecano. One of the main reasons why Barcelona have had such a high goal count since the start of the season is due to their inability to keep sides out.

Celta Vigo come into this game with strong form, having won each of their last five matches across all competitions, so we can expect them to contribute to the goal tally here. Celta Vigo have seen 3+ goals in four of their last five matches across all competitions.

Over 2.5 goals landed in both head-to-head clashes between these sides last season. Barcelona ran out 4-3 winners in the clash where they were the home side, while Celta Vigo managed to hold them to a 2-2 draw in this fixture last season. That 2-2 draw saw a combined xG of 4.2, which is really promising when looking to back goals in this latest meeting.

Rashford has settled into life really well at Barcelona with six goal contributions across his 11 appearances in LaLiga this term, with only eight of these being starts. He’s had 35 shots across these appearances (4.39 per 90), which is a shot volume that confirms that Rashford is back operating at his best in this Barcelona side.

13 of Rashford’s shots in LaLiga this season have found the target (1.63 per 90). Barcelona are the best attacking side in Europe, and have the metrics to back that up with Hansi Flick’s side currently averaging 8.00 shots on target per game in LaLiga, the most of any side in the division.

Barcelona had 10 shots on target across their two meetings with Celta Vigo last season, with at least four in each encounter. Rashford should be able to contribute to Barcelona’s shot on target tally here with his strong record since joining the Spanish side on loan from Manchester United during the summer.

Casado is the designated destroyer in this Barcelona side, having committed 11 fouls across his eight LaLiga appearances (2.49 per 90). To play in the style that Hansi Flick does, you need a player of the profile of Casado, whose defensive strengths allow Barcelona’s most talented players to be platformed in the final third.

Casado filled in the same role for Barcelona last season, committing 26 fouls across his 23 appearances (1.45 per 90). Casado committed six fouls in Barcelona’s 3-1 win over Elche in their most recent LaLiga assignment, which shows just how much of his instructions are to do with breaking up play and giving away tactical fouls. Barcelona’s high line needs a player who can stop these transitions at source, as they are currently being exposed too easily.

Casado lined up in the same role in this fixture last season and committed three fouls from 13 duels. He was sent off in the game late on after picking up two yellow cards for reckless challenges. Casado is likely to be in the spotlight again here as one of the few defensive-minded players in Barcelona’s set up.