Celta Vigo host Racing Santander at Balaídos on 19 September 2026 in a La Liga Matchweek 7 fixture where neither side can really afford to slip up. Celta sit 17th with four points from six matches, still winless in the league and nursing fresh wounds from a Europa League defeat to Omonia, while Racing arrive in marginally better shape at 10th with seven points but have just been taken apart 7-2 at Barcelona and need to show something on the road before that result does lasting damage to their confidence. For a newly promoted side that won the Segunda title in 2025-26, a run of shaky away performances threatens to make their top flight return look shakier than it felt in May.
Claudio Giráldez took over at Celta in March 2024, replacing Rafael Benítez and has steadily imposed his ideas on the squad since. José Alberto López has been at Racing since December 2022 and built a side adventurous enough to drag the club back to the top flight, though how that holds up against better opposition remains an open question.
Celta's last five reads D-D-D-L-L: draws with Málaga (1-1), Getafe (1-1) and Real Sociedad (0-0), then losses to Athletic Club (0-2) and Osasuna (1-2). There is structure there but two goals from five matches tells you the problem clearly enough. Racing's form is harder to read at L-W-L-W-L, collapsing 2-7 at Barcelona, bouncing back to beat Alavés 2-1, losing 2-3 to Rayo Vallecano, winning 3-2 against Elche, then losing 0-1 to Getafe, scoring freely and conceding just as freely throughout.
Celta are without Iago Aspas, out with a thigh injury and the practical consequence is straightforward: Giráldez loses the one player who can conjure a goal out of nothing and must now ask Hugo González, Williot Swedberg and Ferran Jutglà to manufacture chances collectively. Racing are missing Andrés Martín through injury and Simon Eriksson through a goalkeeping issue, while Pedro Felipe is doubtful with a back or muscle problem. López is dealing with a thin bench, a depleted attack and a goalkeeper situation that is not entirely resolved.
Celta set up in a 3-4-3 or flexible variations of it, typically holding 50-60% of possession, with the front line rotating more frequently without Aspas and Ilaix Moriba expected to carry the creative burden from midfield while Marcos Alonso provides structure at the back. Racing counter with a 4-2-3-1 that encourages Sergio Canales and Iñigo Vicente to get forward, while Zabiri, with six goals in recent weeks, is the obvious reference point in their attack and Asier Villalibre completes the front line alongside him.
Whether Moriba can pick passes between Racing's press will tell you a lot about how this one goes. Celta need to contain Zabiri's runs in behind, Racing need to handle a rotated Celta attack that will try to move collectively rather than waiting for Aspas to manufacture something on his own. The absences matter on both sides: Celta lose their most reliable finisher and Racing lose bench depth, meaning López will have to trust his starters for longer or bring on players who haven't proved themselves yet, a situation Celta might exploit in the final twenty minutes if they stay compact and wait for Racing's pressing to fade.
Celta won the last meeting 3-2 away in the Copa del Rey on 5 January 2025 and are unbeaten across the last four encounters, taking two wins and two draws, which suggests they've had the better of this fixture regardless of venue.
Set pieces could end up mattering more than the tactical sophistication suggests and Alonso's aerial presence makes Celta a threat from dead balls even without Aspas leading the line. Racing may also feel the effects of their 7-2 hiding at Barcelona in the early stages and if Celta can keep them pinned back early, the crowd will do the rest. A Racing side still processing a 7-2 result won't want a slow, suffocating start.
Celta 2-1 Racing Santander. Racing have not kept a clean sheet yet this season and a side that has conceded in every game is unlikely to start now but Celta's four draws suggest they know how to keep things tight before finding something late on. The expectation here is that they finally do: their first league win of the campaign in a contest where patience matters more than raw attacking volume.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
