Who: Real Madrid vs Celta Vigo
What: Spain’s La Liga
Where: Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid, Spain
When: Sunday, December 7, at 9pm (20:00 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the buildup on Al Jazeera Sport from 17:00 GMT in advance of our text commentary stream.

Real Madrid will seek only a second top-flight win in five matches when they entertain Celta Vigo in La Liga on Saturday, an achievement that would see them close the gap on league leaders Barcelona to one point.

It should be a match that sees the record Spanish domestic league winners enter as heavy favourites, but their form of late has allowed Barcelona to leap to the top of the table, while opening up questions about their coach, Xabi Alonso.

Al Jazeera Sport takes a look at a game where Celta’s impressive away record this season could see them cause an upset, but much of the focus will also be on Real’s free-scoring forward, Kylian Mbappe.

Why has Mbappe been compared with Real Madrid legend Cristiano Ronaldo?

French superstar Mbappe is close to making history at Real Madrid, like his idol Cristiano Ronaldo, said his coach, Xabi Alonso, on Saturday.

After finishing last season in top form and starting the current campaign superbly, Mbappe has netted 55 goals with Real Madrid in 2025, and is just four away from matching the record of 59 set in 2013 by Ronaldo, as the club’s top scorer in a calendar year.

Mbappe has been increasingly compared with the all-time top Madrid goalscorer, Ronaldo, by the Spanish press for his growing influence and ability to rack up goals.

“Kylian is on his way to making history at Real Madrid like Cristiano did. Not just because of the importance he has in the team, but also because of the ambition he conveys and the number of goals he scores,” Alonso told a news conference.

“Kylian is one of the chosen ones. He has this desire within him not just to do things well, but also to have a positive influence on others. This is something he shares with Cristiano – this contagious ambition that inspires the rest of the team.”

What are Mbappe’s stats at Real Madrid?

Winning the European Golden Shoe and La Liga’s top scorer award last season with 31 goals, Mbappe is currently operating at an even higher level, with 16 goals scored in 15 matches played, and nine in five Champions League games.

Real Madrid face Erling Haaland’s Manchester City in the Champions League on December 10, before league games against Alaves and Sevilla, giving Mbappe four matches to catch Ronaldo, who Mbappe admits he had posters of on his wall as a child.

Portugal international Ronaldo scored 450 goals in 438 matches for Real Madrid, with Mbappe on 69 goals in 79 games since joining from Paris Saint-Germain in 2024.

What happened in Real Madrid’s last match?

Real’s 3-0 win in La Liga at Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday was seen as one of their most impressive displays this season.

Mbappe scored twice, either side of Eduardo Camavinga’s header, to give Real a much-needed win, along with a morale-boosting performance.

The win handed Real their first La Liga win in four games.

How have Real Madrid fared in La Liga this season?

Having won 13 of the opening 14 games of the season, Real have since won only twice in their last six matches – one of those wins coming in Europe.

How have Celta Vigo fared in La Liga this season?

Celta had been on an eight-match unbeaten run, with six wins in that time, but it came crashing to an end with three defeats in their last four games.

Despite their respectable mid-table position, Celta were eight games into the season – of which they lost three – before they finally secured a win. That victory came in the Europa League against PAOK Salonika.

In total, there were nine La Liga games – seven of which were drawn – before Celta registered their first league win of the season, with a 3-2 win at Osasuna.

What happened the last time Real Madrid played Celta Vigo?

Real beat Celta Vigo 3-2 in La Liga at Santiago Bernabeu in May, in the last meeting between the sides.

Los Blancos, then under the management of Carlos Ancelotti, stormed into a three-goal lead, thanks to Arda Guler and Kylian Mbappe’s braces.

Javi Rodriguez pulled one back in the 69th minute, with Williot Swedberg’s 76th-minute strike setting up a nervy finish.

Real’s clean sweep against Celta Vigo last season

Real also won the La Liga meeting at Celta Vigo last season, with Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior scoring either side of Swedberg’s strike for the home side.

Real also won a January meeting between the sides in the Copa del Rey in January. Mbappe and Vinicius Junior appeared to have set Los Blancos on their way to a comfortable win by Jonathan Bamba’s 83rd-minute strike, and Marcos Alonso’s 90th-minute penalty sent the tie to extra time.

Second-half sub Endrick Federico bagged a brace either side of a Federico Valverde goal to secure the 5-2 win and avoid penalties.

When did Celta Vigo last beat Real Madrid?

Celta last overcame Real in 2017, with a 2-1 win at Santiago Bernabeu in the first leg of their Copa del Rey quarterfinal. A 2-2 draw in the return fixture was enough to see Celta progress, but their run was ended in the semifinals by Alaves.

When did Celta Vigo last beat Real Madrid in La Liga?

Celta have not beaten Real in the league since 2014, when Brazilian forward Charles scored both goals in a 2-0 win that ended any chance of Los Blancos catching cross-city rivals Atletico for the league title that season.

Stat attack: Real Madrid

Real’s home record in La Liga this season has seen them win all six matches, netting 14 and conceding only three.

Stat attack: Celta Vigo

Celta’s recent eight-match unbeaten run, with six wins in that time, came crashing to an end with three defeats in their last four games.

Celta’s away record in the league has seen them win three, draw two and lose one, which far outweighs their home return, where they are yet to win in this La Liga campaign.

Head-to-head: Real Madrid vs Celta Vigo

This is the 58th meeting between the sides, with Real winning 39 of the matches and Celta winning 12.

Real are unbeaten in the last 19 meetings between the sides, winning 16.

Real Madrid team news

Dani Carvajal, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ferland Mendy are all absent due to injury. Dean Huijsen and David Alaba are also missing for the visit of Celta.

Eduardo Camavinga is a doubt with a knock to the ankle, but has been named in the squad.

Celta Vigo team news

Joseph Aidoo and Mihailo Ristic are doubts due to injury.

Leading scorer Borja Iglesias, with eight goals to his name this season, will lead a host of players returning to the side, following the midweek win on penalties against lower league Sant Andreu in the Copa del Rey.

Real Madrid’s predicted starting lineup

Courtois, Asencio, Militao, Rudiger, Carreras, Guler, Valverde, Tchouameni, Bellingham, Vinicius, Mbappe

Celta Vigo predicted starting lineup

Radu, Alonso, Starfelt, J Rodriguez, Rueda, D Rodriguez, Moriba, Carreira, Zaragoza, Iglesias, Aspas