Having surpassed the 200-game mark for the club, it is now perhaps fair to label 25-year-old Fran Beltran as one of the senior players for Celta Vigo.
In a recent interview with AS, Beltran talked about his recent milestone for Vigo as well as the club’s aims for the new season. More importantly, he also talked about the Real Madrid challenge that awaits Celta after the international break.
Real Madrid are set to take on Vigo at Balaidos on October 19, with the reigning champions aiming to maintain pressure on Barcelona at the top of the table.
The odds seem to favour Real Madrid, as they have won all league matches played at Balaidos since 2014, barring a draw in 2018.
Beltran on Real Madrid’s record
When asked about the Real Madrid challenge, Beltran suggests Celta Vigo will remain in good spirits despite history not favouring them at all.
“We haven’t had a single game in red. The statistics are there to be broken, Claudio says it a lot,” he said.
Formerly of Rayo Vallecano, Beltran himself has faced Real Madrid 11 times in his career. Much to his disappointment, though, Los Blancos have won each and every one of those matches.
Beltran, though, remains upbeat about Celta’s chances, especially with the support of their home fans.
“This time we are very excited to be able to compete with Real Madrid. With the support of our fans at home, we are seeing that we are very strong here. It is a good time to try to get the three points against Real Madrid,” he concluded.
Unfortunately for Celta, though, it appears their talismanic forward Iago Aspas will miss this important game, owing to a suspension.