prediction Al Nassr vs Celta Vigo team news, lineups , preview
On Monday night, Celta Vigo will begin preparations for the 2023-24 season with a preseason match against Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr.
prediction Al Nassr vs Celta Vigo team news, lineups
Al-Nassr finished second in the Saudi Pro League behind champion Al-Ittihad, while the Sky Blues secured another season of La Liga football by finishing 13th in Spain's top division last season.
Rafael Benitez has been named head coach of Celta de Vigo for the 2023-24 season, replacing Carlos Carvalhal. Benitez will look to improve on the Sky Blues' 13th-place finish in Spain's top division last season.
Celta were only three points above the relegation zone at the end of the previous season, and their fans will expect more from them in the upcoming campaign.
The club from Vigo has already made two summer acquisitions, acquiring Carles Perez on a permanent basis from Roma and Manu Sanchez on a free transfer from Atletico Madrid.
Celta are preparing for their 2023-24 La Liga home opener against Osasuna on August 13. It is anticipated that there will be more movement in the coming weeks.
The Spanish team, which defeated Barcelona 2-1 on the final weekend of the previous season, will also face Benfica and Lyon in friendlies this summer.
Al-Nassr, on the other hand, have already played two friendlies since finishing their Saudi Pro League campaign with a 3-0 victory over Al-Fateh at the end of May, defeating Alverca and Farense.
Luis Castro has replaced the sacked Rudi Garcia as the manager of Saudi Arabia, and the 61-year-old will be tasked with directing a strong title challenge in the upcoming season.
Al-Nassr finished second in the rankings, five points behind Al-Ittihad, despite winning three of their final four league matches from the previous season.
Due to the influx of high-profile players during the summer transfer window, there will be more attention on the Saudi Pro League in the upcoming season.
Marcelo Brozovic has joined Cristiano Ronaldo, who joined Al-Nassr in January, at Al-Nassr this summer, and more incomings are expected if the club pays the money owed to Leicester City for Ahmed Musa, which has resulted in a temporary transfer suspension by FIFA.
In the coming weeks, Celta head coach Benitez will evaluate his roster to determine which players will be included in his plans for the 2023-24 season.
Perez should make his unofficial second debut for the Sky Blues in this match, as his loan move has been converted into a permanent transfer, while Sanchez should make his debut for the club.
Al Nassr vs Celta Vigo preview
Iago Aspas, Oscar Mingueza, and Fran Beltran are all anticipated to start, along with other familiar faces.
As for Al-Nassr, Ronaldo and Brozovic were spectators during Friday night's 5-1 victory over Farense in Portugal, but they could potentially play in this match.
Ronaldo is presently adhering to a club-agreed-upon training schedule, with the forward only recently returning to training after a month of international duty.
However, the visitors will be without the services of veteran goalkeeper David Ospina, as the Colombian is currently recuperating from an injury.
Celta Vigo possible starting lineup: Blanco; Vazquez, Nunez, Aidoo, Mingueza; Beltran, Tapia; Perez, Cervi, Larsen; Aspas
Al-Nassr conceivable starting lineup: Al-Aqidi; Al-Ghannam, Al-Amri, Gonzalez, Lajami; Al-Sulaiheem, Al-Naji, Yahya, Al-Khaibari; Maran, Ghareeb
We say: Celta Vigo 2-2 Al-Nassr
