The Galician side must overturn the 3-0 deficit they suffered in the first leg of their Europa League quarterfinal.
Celta players celebrate after defeating Lyon to book their place in the Europa League quarterfinals.
Coach Claudio Giráldez has called for only believers to attend Balaídos this Thursday – fans who have no doubt that the team can truly overturn the 3-0 first-leg loss to Freiburg. Many must share that faith, as tickets for the match sold out on Monday, shortly after another setback in the week: a defeat to Oviedo.
Meanwhile, the squad is demanding that the stadium be a boiling cauldron from the very first minute, with the crowd delivering the first goal through the strong connection built with the team over the past two years. All that is crucial, but scoring four goals past Freiburg will also require plenty of quality football – the kind Celta have lacked in their last two outings. Pulling it off would mark the club’s second-ever appearance in a Europa League semifinal.
Perhaps for all this to happen, the players need to shed the heavy burden of responsibility they have been carrying lately. Whatever happens on Thursday, Celta will have a remarkable season. Any fan would have signed up in August for being sixth in La Liga and reaching the Europa League quarterfinals by April. Keeping perspective is important.
Great feats are nothing new in Celta’s European history. The club has enjoyed historic nights, celebrated victories, and a few disappointments. Yet, no comeback of this magnitude has ever been achieved. To add an epic touch to the occasion, multi-instrumentalist and internationally renowned Celta fan Abraham Cupeiro will perform in the minutes before kickoff.
Many of the players in this squad experienced the semifinal against Manchester United nine years ago as children in the stands. They were young Celta fans dreaming of one day being protagonists in such a moment. Facing this challenge without hesitation and enjoying the occasion will be another positive step toward the comeback. After all, the match against Freiburg is a matter of faith.
**Prediction by Lorenzo Lara**
Celta 2-0 Freiburg
Celta face an almost impossible mission. Overturning a 3-0 deficit in Europe is never easy, and the team’s recent form does not inspire optimism. But this is football – anything can happen.
