Barcelona vs Celta Vigo preview - Suarez set for competitive home bow

Posted Friday, October 31, 2014 by PA

Luis Suarez is in line to make his competitive home debut for Barcelona against Celta Vigo on Saturday with the former Liverpool striker searching for his first goal in Spanish football.

Suarez had a muted performance against Real Madrid in the 3-1 Clasico defeat last weekend, although he did create the goal for Neymar, and also claimed an assist against Espanyol in the Catalan Super Cup in midweek.

Barcelona coach Luis Enrique believes the Uruguay striker, who was banned for four months for biting during the World Cup, will soon show what an impact he can make.

He told a news conference ahead of Saturday's game: "Suarez has good fitness and he is training at the same level as his team-mates, and now we see him play games. He's a good fit for the squad, and we will see that throughout the season."

Enrique joined Barcelona after a single season in charge of Celta where he won many plaudits for his approach as they finished ninth in La Liga. They are now in sixth place and have yet to lose an away game this season.

"It's a bit more special to play this game," the Barca coach added. "I have fond memories of Celta. They are a hard-working, attractive, very dangerous team who put pressure on their opponents."

Celta Vigo coach Eduardo Berizzo is expected to include former Barcelona youth player Sergi Gomez, who is from the same town as Cesc Fabregas, in his squad.

Gomez told Barcelona's official website that Celta will be wary of Barca after their defeat against Real.

He said: "I am sure that the players are experienced enough to know how to turn the page. They lost at the Bernabeu, but that can happen. Now they need to immediately switch on to the next match and change the situation.

"This is a game that anyone would want to play. What most excites me is the idea of going back to the place where I grew up. I'm looking forward to seeing people that I met over the years, and my old team-mates. There are lots of memories to relive, that's for sure.

"Celta have a very similar philosophy to Barca. We always try to keep the ball and play good, effective football. The coach has brought in his new ideas, which he's added to the good things we already had before."