Granadavs.Celta Vigo

The visitors lead the bottom three by five points with two games left to play thanks to a victory last time out, while their visitors cannot climb any higher than 19th and will bid to stay clear of basement side Almeria.

Match preview

Granada return to Los Carmenes on Sunday for their final home game in what has been a particularly difficult La Liga season on their return to Spain's top flight, after winning the second tier at the first time of asking last time round.

Indeed, the Nazaries have sat in the relegation zone continuously since September, having managed just 21 points from their 36 games thus far, winning just four of those while suffering 23 defeats.

Two of those victories did come in an improved spell in April, as Jose Ramon Sandoval's side kept their faint survival hopes alive by beating Alaves and Osasuna either side of a draw with Athletic Bilbao, but they have since seen any chances put to bed, suffering three more losses on the bounce while results elsewhere confirmed their drop last weekend.

On the day of that confirmation, the Nazaries faced an unenviable contest with champions Real Madrid and suffered a 4-0 beating with Fran Garcia and Arda Guler on the scoresheet alongside Brahim Diaz's second-half brace, before they most recently visited Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday and again left empty-handed, with Lucas Boye's 89th-minute goal coming too late to spark a turnaround in a 2-1 defeat despite the hosts being reduced to 10 men inside the first five minutes.

Now unable to improve on their current position in 19th spot with two games left to play, and with a four-point lead over basement side Almeria, Granada will bid to at least bow out of the top flight on a high, starting with a fifth league win of the campaign and a fifth at home on Sunday.

That will be no easy task, though, as the visitors arrive aiming to continue an improved run and guarantee their safety ahead of the final day.

Following back-to-back safe mid-table finishes in La Liga, Celta Vigo have certainly endured a tougher campaign this time around, fighting around the drop zone for almost the entirety of the term, and they sat in a concerning position with seven games remaining, occupying 17th spot with just 28 points on the board from 31 outings.

Under the new management of Claudio Giraldez, they have since produced a crucial upturn in form to move well clear in the fight for survival, though, picking up three victories in their last five attempts as they firstly got the better of Las Palmas and Villarreal either side of a disappointing away defeat to Alaves.

Then on the back of a narrow 1-0 loss away at Atletico Madrid, with the chasing pack again hot on their heels, Los Celestes most recently hosted Athletic Bilbao in another tough test on Wednesday, but they would again make a return to winning ways, coming from 1-0 down to prevail in a 2-1 victory thanks to second-half goals from Williot Swedberg and Hugo Alvarez.

Now sitting 16th with a five-point lead over the bottom three thanks to their recent results, Celta Vigo head into the weekend knowing a victory at Granada, or anything other than three points for 18th-placed Cadiz, would see them extend their stay in La Liga to 13 straight seasons.

Granada La Liga form:

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Celta Vigo La Liga form:

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Team News

Granada continue to deal with several enforced absentees heading into the weekend, with Kamil Jozwiak, Myrto Uzuni, Antonio Puertas and Raul Fernandez all expected to continue spells in the treatment room after missing the trip to Rayo Vallecano last time out.

Winger Uzuni is a particularly notable loss, having netted a team-high tally of 11 goals in 34 La Liga appearances this term, and in his absence plenty of attacking responsibility will fall on front man Lucas Boye, who took his own tally to six goals for the season on Wednesday.

Jose Callejon will fight to return from the outset after Theo Corbeanu and Manchester United loanee Facundo Pellistri were preferred on the wings in a supporting trio last time out, while Sergio Ruiz and Gerard Gumbau are bound to continue their partnership at the base of the midfield in a 4-2-3-1 setup.

Celta Vigo head into Sunday's trip with a pair of injuries of their own to contend with, as Mihailo Ristic and Joseph Aidoo will remain sidelined.

Claudio Giraldez may opt to name an unchanged starting XI from their win over Athletic Bilbao in midweek, although Hugo Alvarez and veteran Iago Aspas will both contend to come in and lead the line in place of Jorgen Strand Larsen after making substitute appearances in that contest, with the former netting the decisive goal.

Whichever lone striker is preferred will have support from Jonathan Bamba and Williot Swedberg, who netted his fifth La Liga goal of the season to draw them level last time out, while former Barcelona man Oscar Mingueza may return from the outset in a right wing-back role with Javi Manquillo, Carl Starfelt and Carlos Dominguez continuing in a back three.

Granada possible starting lineup:

Martinez; Sanchez, Rubio, Torrente, Neva; Gumbau, Ruiz; Pellistri, Melendo, Callejon; Boye

Celta Vigo possible starting lineup:

Villar; Manquillo, Starfelt, Dominguez; Mingueza, Beltran, Rodriguez, Sanchez; Bamba, Aspas, Swedberg

We say: Granada 0-2 Celta Vigo

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