Racing Santander are looking for an immediate response this Saturday at Balaídos after their heavy defeat at Camp Nou. The Cantabrian side, tenth in the table with 7 points, face Celta Vigo in the seventh round of La Liga.
The 7-2 loss to Barcelona last Wednesday left a wound the coaching staff wants to heal quickly. Despite the scoreline, the team showed character by scoring twice through Moussa Gueye and Yassir Zabiri. The Moroccan striker, with six goals in six games, is the team's top scorer this season. The squad has worked this week to correct the defensive mistakes that have led to a record of 11 goals scored and 16 conceded. The team has worked 1,350 goal minutes this season.
Celta's situation
The opponent, Celta Vigo, sits in seventeenth place and is also not in their best moment. The Galician side are coming off a loss to Omonia Nicosia in the Conference League and haven't won in the league since August 30th. Their manager, Rafa Benítez, has several important absences. Captain Iago Aspas is out with a muscle injury and will not return until October. Midfielder Andrés Antañón and forward Jones El-Abdellaoui are also unavailable.
For Racing, this match is a key opportunity to steady their course away from home, where they have only taken one point this campaign. The fixture list shows an irregular run of results, with two wins and three losses in their last five games. After the match against Celta, Racing Santander's next opponent will be Real Betis at El Sardinero.
The Racing manager will likely make some tactical adjustments after the physical and mental toll of the Barcelona match. The defence, with Manu Hernando and Pedro Felipe, will need to be more focused to stop attackers like Ferrán Jutglà. In midfield, the presence of Sergio Canales will be vital to provide balance and create play.
The match will be played at the Estadio Municipal de Balaídos this Saturday, September 19th, at 18:30 local time. A win would allow Racing Santander to close in on the European places and leave the taste of the heavy defeat behind. The full squad for this challenge is available in our squad section.
