Juanfran Funes, the Malaga CF head coach, has praised Celta Vigo's football ahead of Sunday's visit to Balaidos at 14:00, a match that falls in a week with three fixtures in eight days for his side. The coach placed Claudio Giraldez's team among the most dominant sides in La Liga.
Funes praises Celta's football
"We really like their idea of football," Funes said in the pre-match press conference, ranking Celta alongside Real Madrid, Barcelona and Villarreal among the clubs that control the ball best. The Malaga coach highlighted Celta's ability to dominate possession and pin opponents back, a trait backed by the numbers: Celta average more than 600 passes per game, behind only Barcelona, Real Madrid and Villarreal.
Praise for the academy project
Funes went further, praising the Vigo club's youth work and drawing parallels with Malaga's own project. "It makes clear the similarities between both clubs' projects, the trust in the academy." he said, calling Celta's academy project "enviable." The coach stressed that Celta "takes the ball off you" rather than simply "sitting back," and called for patience, calm and defensive solidity from his players, while also warning that the midday heat could affect the tempo of the game.
Malaga still chasing a first win
Malaga have two draws and two defeats so far this season and are still searching for their first league win, though Funes has not ruled out changes to his starting eleven "depending on circumstances" and sees squad competition as an asset. The club is calmly assessing the free-agent market following a long-term injury to Julen Lobete, in no rush to sign anyone who would not "help the squad already in place."
Celta go into the game 16th in La Liga on 3 points from five matches (0W-3D-2L) with a goal difference of -3 after scoring 2 and conceding 5. In their last outing they drew 1-1 at Getafe, with Charalampos Starfelt scoring off an assist from Hugo Gonzalez, a result that leaves Giraldez's side nine points behind leaders Barcelona. Supporters can check the Vigo club's squad list and the current standings ahead of a fixture also listed on the fixtures page.
