Which Celta Vigo team are going to turn up Wednesday at the Balaidos for their final home league game of the season against a Real Madrid side who need four points from their final two games to win a first title in five years?
Will it be the Celta which started like an express train against Barcelona and raced into a 3-0 lead of a game they would win 4-3?
The Celta which became the first team in more than a year to win at Santiago Bernabeu, when their 2-1 victory helped them knock Real Madrid out of the Copa del Rey, just as they had knocked Atletico out last season?
In the previous round, Celta beat Valencia 4-1 away.
On their day, Celta are excellent and this has been a great season for them. The Galicians have reached the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey, where they narrowly lost to Alaves, and the Europa League, where they narrowly lost to Manchester United.
In both ties, Celta failed to win the first leg at home.
Eduardo Berizzo’s side froze against United. Their English opponents were creative, athletic and dominant and won 1-0.
Celta were better at Old Trafford while United were poor, enjoying extended periods of play and coming agonisingly close to getting a 96th-minute winner from John Guidetti which would have sent them through to the Stockholm final.
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The cups have been Celta’s focus in the past two months and their league form has slipped with seven defeats in eight games. Celta were eighth after 20 league matches, but they fell to 13th after their latest defeat.
Wednesday’s game (11pm in the UAE) is being played after the original fixture was postponed when heavy winds ripped off a section of Celta’s stand roof.
Yet they still have a crucial role to play in the Primera Liga title race. Beat Madrid and Barcelona will be clear favourites to retain their title on Sunday’s final day of league football when the Catalans entertain Eibar, while Madrid are at Malaga.
Barca manager Luis Enrique knows his side’s fate lies elsewhere, but he rightly pointed out that Madrid’s last two opponents, Celta and Malaga, both beat Barcelona this season.
Celta have nothing to play for and it would be considered a dead rubber if the game were in England, but things work differently in Spain. Clubs are offered inducements to win matches. It is not illegal, though the ethics are questionable.
Barcelona need Celta to win.
If that happens, they will likely win the league, so the Catalans may suggest, for example, that they would be happy to loan Celta two of their players for next season — if they can beat Madrid.
That is considered normal practice in Spain, but for all Celta’s qualities, they are inconsistent and unpredictable. Against the other Europa League finalists Ajax earlier in the season, Celta were out of the match and losing 2-0 before scoring two late goals.
Whatever Celta do, Madrid still have the players to destroy them. Judged by their form in the last year, they are the best team in the world, the European and world champions. They are in another Uefa Champions League final this month, their third in four years. They won the other three.
After the April clasico defeat at home to Barcelona, they have won their last four matches. It is needed, for Barca have won their last six and they are hammering sides. Spain’s top two both won 4-1 at the weekend, with their big guns firing.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored two in Madrid’s win against Sevilla. Madrid are on top of their game because they have to be: they can win the league and become the first team to retain the European Cup in the Champions League era.
James Rodriguez, who is unlikely to start Wednesday or in the Champions League final, waved what looked like a goodbye to the Bernabeu crowd at the weekend as he was substituted.
He is linked with a move to Manchester United. Who isn’t?
The fact that Madrid will let him go for big money shows how overstocked they are with talent. Wednesday, in Vigo, they need to show it again.
Season to forget for Valencia
This season has not been a respectable one for Valencia. After a poor start – they lost their first four matches – a first relegation in more than 30 years seemed a genuine possibility.
Valencia did what they often do and changed their manager. They are on their third of the season after Pako Ayestaran and Cesare Prandelli were dismissed, meaning Salvador “Voro” Gonzalez took charge again as caretaker.
He has steadied a ship which looked like it was sinking and Valencia have gradually climbed the table, inching away from the relegation places to sit 12th in the table. They have won their past two matches, beating Espanyol on Saturday, a good result.
Valencia also beat Real Madrid at home in February, but there have been too few highs; Valencia should be in Spain’s top six, even top four. And, according to their ultra critical fans, Spain’s top one.
Valencia have had little stability, but the club’s Singaporean chief executive, Layhoon Chan, will move on this month after two difficult seasons.
A replacement to Voro has been found in Marcelino, who started this season at Valencia’s neighbours Villarreal but resigned before the first league match after a disagreement with the board.
Marcelino excelled at Villarreal, winning them promotion in his first season and then three top-six finishes, also taking them to the Europa League semi-final last season.
His appointment has been greeted with the typical enthusiasm that comes with any new Valencia manager. He should enjoy it, for the shelf life is usually a short one. But Marcelino, 51, who has managed around Spain, is a wise head.
It will take more than one man to right the wrongs at the club and stop the avalanche of discontent among fans, but Valencia still have some very talented players, from captain Dani Parejo to full-back Jose Luis Gaya and fellow defender Eliaquim Mangala. Ahead of him is Nani, who is back from injury. Forward Simone Zaza, on loan from Juventus until the end of the season, will sign permanently.
There are always reasons for optimism, but Valencia’s supporters are understandably downtrodden and do not read too much into their club’s seemingly impressive average gate of 33,941 either.
It may be the sixth highest in Spain, but it is 8,000 down on last season and some of the recent attendances have been alarmingly low, with the last two home crowds numbering 26,101 and 24,752 – half of what they would be getting if they were top of the league.
Those days are long gone, but they will hope that 2016/17 was the season they hit rock bottom.
Player of the week
• Neymar: The Brazilian striker's hat-trick at Las Palmas helped his Barcelona side to an easy 4-1 win. Ivan Rakitic and Jordi Alba also played well. Nacho was Real Madrid's best player in their 4-1 win against Sevilla. The defender scored, too. Another goalscorer, Stevan Jovetic, was Sevilla's best player.
Game of the week
• Malaga v Real Madrid: Zinedine Zidane's side will be champions if they win on Sunday, assuming they do not lose at Celta Vigo Wednesday. If they are beaten, they expect just as much attention to be on Barcelona's home game to Eibar. Two from Villarreal, Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad will finish in the remaining European spots. All three are away at Valencia, Atletico and Celta.
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