Celta Vigo will face Real Betis this Friday with a squad reduced to just 22 players due to five injury absences. Coach Claudio Giráldez confirmed the shortest list of the season, calling up all available footballers for the match at Balaídos.

The five injured players are striker Borja Iglesias, centre-back Carl Starfelt, full-back Álvaro Núñez, midfielder Jones El-Abdellaoui and goalkeeper Miguel Román. Also, players Milla and Ángel Arcos were not included in the squad. This situation complicates the build-up to a key match for a Celta side sitting ninth in La Liga with 12 points, from two wins, six draws and two losses in ten games.

Giráldez exhausts his options

Claudio Giráldez has explained that the squad list reflects the reality of the dressing room. "He called up the 22 footballers he has available for the match," the coach stated. With this group, which includes three goalkeepers, eight defenders, four midfielders and seven forwards, the team will look to improve its recent run of form. In their last five matches, the team has recorded two wins, two draws and one loss, a sequence that includes the 1-2 victory over Celtic on 22 October, featuring a brace from Javier Rodríguez Galiano.

Celta arrive following a goalless draw against Betis on Saturday 25 October, a result that left the team with a record of two wins, six draws and two losses in the domestic competition. In the league, the team has scored 10 goals and conceded 7. Their next fixture is away to Rayo Vallecano, who currently sit 16th, on Saturday 31 October.

Despite the absences, the team maintains a positive goal difference of +3, having scored 10 and conceded 7. The squad available to Giráldez includes goalkeepers Altay, Radu and Iván Villar, defenders such as Marcos Alonso and Javi Galán, and forwards like Iago Aspas and Ferran Jutglà. Preparation for the match was affected by a flight cancellation, which limited training sessions. The club has not provided recovery timelines for any of the injured players. With 12 points, Celta are 15 points behind the leaders, Barcelona.

The report in full is at ABC Deportes