Vigo is preparing for a European night that reaches beyond the usual rhythm of the season, with Juventus arriving at Balaídos on Thursday. For Celta, the visit of the Italian side brings both a demanding test and the sort of occasion that gives continental football its particular pull.
Iago Aspas, fit again after injury, faced the media before the match and urged his side to make the home occasion count. The forward from Moaña, approaching the later stages of his career, spoke of wanting to savour another major European fixture.
Quick facts
- Celta host Juventus at Balaídos on Thursday.
- Iago Aspas has returned from injury.
- The captain called for Celta to claim their first three-point result.
- Aspas defended coach Claudio Giráldez amid criticism of the team’s recent style.
- The fixture recalls Celta’s 4-0 UEFA Cup win over Carlo Ancelotti’s Juventus in the last 16.
Aspas said Celta must begin collecting victories and give their supporters something to celebrate in Vigo. He acknowledged the scale of the opposition, describing Juventus as one of the competition’s leading clubs, but stressed that the contest will still be played by 11 men on each side.
The Juventus meeting also brings back memories of one of Balaídos’ defining European evenings. Aspas watched from the stands when Celta beat Ancelotti’s Juventus 4-0 in the second leg of their UEFA Cup round-of-16 tie.
He also offered a defence of Giráldez as questions have grown over whether Celta remain as entertaining as in earlier periods. Aspas insisted the coach’s core approach has not changed during his two and a half years in charge: Celta still seek possession and aim to play high in opposition territory.
But he said there is a practical limit to comparing every side with Barcelona, referring to their 4-1 away win on Tuesday. Every club would like to produce that kind of result, Aspas said, yet not every squad has the same resources or players.
For Aspas, the changing nature of matches is part of the challenge. Opponents study Celta, coaches adjust from game to game, and each contest becomes a tactical contest in which both benches try to leave their own team in the stronger position.
That calculation now leads to Juventus, and to a night in Vigo where history offers encouragement but the present demands a result.
