Estadio Abanca-Balaídos hosts a meeting with serious implications at both ends of the table on Sunday evening. Claudio Giráldez's Celta Vigo sit 7th in LaLiga with 34 points, still chasing a European push, while Jagoba Arrasate's Mallorca arrive in the relegation zone in 18th with just 24 points and a record of 6 wins from 24 games. With 14 points separating the sides, Celta enter as clear favorites, and the Galicians have home advantage in a fixture that carries far greater urgency for the visitors.
Celta's last five results reflect a squad stretched across two competitions. They earned a credible 2-1 away win at PAOK in the Europa League knockout stage on February 19th, just days after drawing 2-2 at Espanyol. Before that, a home loss to Osasuna (2-1) was sandwiched by two draws — at Getafe (0-0) and in Belgrade against Crvena zvezda (1-1). Giráldez's side have drawn or lost six of their last eight league matches, so their European midweek excursion adds a layer of fatigue into the equation. Still, 8 league wins and 32 goals scored show a squad with genuine attacking output — they are not a team without firepower at home.
Mallorca's form makes uncomfortable reading for Arrasate. They have won just one of their last five, with back-to-back losses to Barcelona (3-0 away) and Real Betis (1-2 at home) eating into any confidence built by a 4-1 demolition of Sevilla on February 2nd. That Sevilla result was Mallorca's last win — nearly three weeks ago — and prior to it they were beaten 3-0 at Atlético. Their away record this season stands at 0.42 points per game, among the worst in the division. Conceding 39 goals in 24 league matches tells a story of a defence under pressure and a side that finds travelling particularly costly.
In 50 career meetings, the overall record is remarkably even — Celta hold 20 wins to Mallorca's 18, with 12 draws. But at Balaídos, the home side enjoy a clear advantage. Last season Celta completed a league double over Mallorca, winning 2-0 at home and 2-1 away, and the most recent clash this season ended 1-1. BTTS has occurred in 54% of their recent encounters, a pattern that gives reasonable weight to a lively game even when Mallorca's form is poor.
My prediction is Both Teams To Score at 2.00. Mallorca have found the net in four of their last five away trips and concede freely (39 in 24 games), so they are unlikely to keep a clean sheet at Balaídos. Celta, despite their recent stutters in the league, are the sharper side at home and carry genuine quality up front. The head-to-head BTTS rate of 54% over 13 recent meetings reinforces the case, and with Mallorca needing a result to escape the bottom three, Arrasate's side will push forward rather than park. The xG projection (1.99–1.26) supports a 2-1 finish.