Barcelona dropped points for the second time in two games - and the first time at home in 12 months - as Celta Vigo earned a 2-2 draw at Camp Nou.
The Catalans recovered from a goal down as Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez found the net either side of Iago Aspas's eighth-of-the-season opener.
Maxi Gomez found a way through 20 minutes from time to earn his side a share of the spoils, however, profiting from some good work from attacking teammate Aspas down the right.
Relive how the 90 minutes of action unfolded with Sports Mole's live text coverage right here.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the La Liga meeting between Barcelona and Celta Vigo at Camp Nou. The Catalan giants are aiming to make it a full calendar year without dropping a home league point, while at the same time extending their lead at the top to seven points on Valencia and 11 on Madrid rivals Real and Atletico - a surely insurmountable lead.
Celta are the latest side attempting to pull off a huge shock by leaving the Catalan capital with a share of the spoils, which would help bolster their hopes of knocking on the door for a European spot. The Sky Blues sit ninth in the table and are just four points adrift of the top six, although looking the other way there is a three-point gap on Eibar down in 15th place.
BARCELONA TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Ter Stegen; Sergi Roberto, Pique, Umtiti, Jordi Alba; Busquets, Iniesta, Rakitic, Paulinho; Messi, L.Suarez
SUBS: Cillessen, Digne, Gomes, Alcacer, D.Suarez, Vermaelen, Vidal
Starting with a look at the home team, boss Ernesto Valverde has brought back his big hitters for this La Liga clash, having been given the luxury of rotating against Real Murcia here in the Copa del Rey a couple of days ago. Gerard Pique featured in the 5-0 second-leg win, having been suspended for the 1-1 draw with Valencia last weekend, and he is once again used in the heart of defence this afternoon.
As expected, Valverde has again gone with two up top in Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez. Interestingly, though, Messi has not scored now since the end of October after firing a blank in each of his last five since the win over Athletic Bilbao. Suarez, on the other hand, has just two in his last eight - both coming in the same match - and seven in 21 overall for club and country.
Valverde has effectively gone with a 4-4-2 formation this afternoon, with four central midfielders included from the off. Andres Iniesta, Ivan Rakitic, Paulinho and Sergio Busquets all line up in the same side, while Sergio Roberto returns at right-back in place of the absent Nelson Semedo - not in the squad at all today. Jordi Alba continues down the left, meanwhile, and Samuel Umtiti is paired with Pique central defence.
CELTA VIGO TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Ruben Blanco; Mallo, Fontas, S.Gomez, Brais; Jozabed, Lobotka; Wass, Sisto, M.Gomez; Iago Aspas
SUBS: Alvarez, Cabral, Guidetti, Hernandez, Mor, Radoja, Roncaglia
In terms of the visitors, managed by former Barca assistant Juan Carlos Unzue, they can call upon the goals of ex-Liverpool man Iago Aspas up top. Aspas has seven goals in six league outings this term to lead the scoring charts for his side, while Maxi Gomez has also impressed with six goals in 12 matches alongside him. Pione Sisto is another for Barca to be wary of, as he can cause real danger out wide.
The Sky Blues have been dealt a blow due to the absence of the suspended Jony, but Sergio Gomez has been deemed fit enough to start in what appears to be a five-man backline, alongside Andreu Fontas and Hugo Mallo. Daniel Wass and Sisto will provide support for Aspas and Maxi Gomez from the wide positions, though this will likely be a conservative display as far as the visiting side are concerned.
Ruben Blanco is tasked with protecting the goal once again this afternoon, looking to build on a record that has seen Celta concede 19 goals so far this term - Barca, in comparison, have shipped only five. The Sky Blues have the fifth-best scoring stats in the division, however, scoring 24 in all - Aspas scoring seven of those - which is again some way short of their opponents' tally of 34. A bit of a gulf, maybe, but Celta will be right up for this one.
As expected, Ernesto Valverde has reverted back to something close to his strongest available side, bringing in Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi from the 5-0 second-leg win over Real Murcia in the Copa del Rey. Neither man has been in great form of late, even if the latter did have a legitimate goal ruled out against Atletico Madrid last weekend, so they will target this match as a chance to get back on track in front of goal.
Talk of Barcelona being in crisis after their heavy two-legged Supercopa de Espana defeat to Real Madrid in August now seems a long time ago, having won 16 and draw four of their matches since then. It has been a near-faultless start to life under Valverde, who took over from Luis Enrique in the summer following years of flirting with the Camp Nou hotseat. So far so good for him, then, but there is still work to be done.
A word of caution for Valverde, though - the last Barca manager to start a season this well was Gerardo Martino, who went 16 without defeat to begin the 2013-14 campaign but still ended trophyless. That run cost the Argentinian his job, yet there is little sign of any sort of blip grabbing hold of the Catalan club at the moment, as they continue to rack up the points and sit eight clear of biggest rivals Real.
Valverde was dealt a major blow early into his Barca reign with the loss of Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain, with direct replacement Ousmane Dembele - a record-breaking purchase for the club - limping off on his first league start. The Frenchman was brought in to help Barca retain their 4-3-3 formation, but Valverde has since had to alter it slightly due to Dembele being absent for the past few months.
Dembele is expected to return in time for the El Clasico showdown with Real Madrid later this month, but at this rate it would be a surprise to see Valverde throw him in before the winter break - why risk it? Ironically, the loss of Neymar - as pointed out by Messi earlier this week - has made the Catalans more stable from a defensive point of view. As impressive as the forward trio were last year, Barca ultimately failed as they missed out on the Champions League and La Liga.
Barca have shipped just five goals all season in the Spanish top flight, remember, while also netting 34 at the other end. Dembele's return will certainly make the squad stronger, but will Valverde change a winning formula? Even on both occasions that Barcelona have dropped points this term, the result was ultimately positive as those games came away to Atletico Madrid and Valencia.
The 1-1 draw to Valencia last weekend was a result to celebrate for Barca, keeping the gap on their closest rivals at four points rather than just one, but they felt that they should have taken another victory from the Mestalla as Messi had a perfectly good goal ruled out. In the end, it took a fine 82nd-minute volley from full-back Jordi Alba to rescue his side a share of the spoils - a potentially huge goal.
All that said, we do still have a title race on our hands as we approach the winter break, with Valencia still very much within touching distance of the leaders. Atletico were the side who pipped Barca to the title in Martino's one and only season at the Camp Nou helm; Valencia now appear to be the best bet to do likewise four years on. Barca are also on track in the domestic cup competition, thanks to an 8-0 two-legged win over Real Murcia in the Copa del Rey last 32.
Paco Alcacer was one of five different scorers in the 5-0 second-leg win in midweek, doing his chances of a recall to the starting XI in La Liga no harm. For now Valverde is rightly sticking with Messi and Suarez - two of the deadliest forwards on the planet, even if the latter has struggled in front of goal this campaign. Ultimately, it is results that matter - in that regard, only Manchester City can truly match the Catalans for form.
Barca are also through to the last 16 of the Champions League, meanwhile, getting over the line with a goalless draw against Juventus last week, so Valverde may opt to rotate for the meeting with Sporting a few days from now. Then comes meetings with Villarreal and Deportivo La Coruna in La Liga, before the big one against Real Madrid on December 23. If all goes to plan between now and then, victory for Barca in that one will surely kill their rivals off.
Barcelona have won 16 and drawn four of their 20 matches since losing to Real Madrid in the Supercopa de Espana. It has been an impressive start to life at Camp Nou for new boss Ernesto Valverde, who knows that three more wins before the winter break - including against Real Madrid on December 23 - will ensure his side have one hand on the La Liga title.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS! These fixtures tend to be high-scoring affairs, with 23 goals scored in the last four meetings. Barcelona were 5-0 winners here in March - Lionel Messi helping himself to a couple - while Celta Vigo won the reverse encounter 4-3 five months prior in a real thriller at Balaidos. Fingers cross for similar entertainment today!
Celta head to Catalonia aiming to climb further up the table, having endured a mixed set of results to date - five wins, six defeats and a couple of draws. The Celts have picked up a couple of wins on their travels, beating Eibar and Las Palmas with a combined nine goals, but they have largely had to rely on home form so far. Balaidos is far from a fortress, in truth, but they still have the eighth-best home record in the division.
Celta picked up a 1-0 win against Leganes in their last league outing eight days ago; prior to that they had lost three games out of four. Unzue's men have only faced Atletico Madrid of the current top four so far, losing 1-0 to a Kevin Gameiro goal half an hour in, but they now travel to Barcelona and Valencia in successive matches, before welcoming Real Madrid immediately after the winter break.
Like Barca, the Celts were also in action during the week as they took on Eibar in the last 32 of the Copa del Rey. A late Aspas goal at Balaidos saw them get the job done in the second leg, keeping them on the path for some rare silverware. For now their focus is on the Spanish top flight, though, with victory today enough to lift them up to seventh place and within a point of a European spot.
DID YOU KNOW? Barcelona are closing in on 12 months of consecutive home wins at Camp Nou in La Liga, winning 18 out of 18 since Sergio Ramos equalised for Real Madrid on December 3 last year. Celta Vigo have lost seven of their last nine on the road, meanwhile, but they have netted in all six away league games so far this term, scoring nine times in total in their wins against Eibar and Las Palmas.
With kickoff at Camp Nou now less than 10 minutes away, let us check out some pre-match thoughts from both camps.
Ernesto Valverde: "Gerard's not in the squad for tomorrow because other people are there. We have a big squad, sometimes I pick some players sometimes I pick others. Dembele? I've been asked this before. He's making good progress with his recovery. We think he could be back relatively soon but as I've said we're not going to run any risks and we will not bring him back a single week earlier than necessary."
Juan Carlos Unzue: "Neymar positively conditioned many things and the way to play as well. The man to replace him was Dembele and he is injured. Without changing the idea of football, maintaining a very high possession, now Barcelona can be more vertical or horizontal."
Valverde was asked to explain the absence of a couple of his players from today's squad. The Dembele one goes without saying; the Frenchman picked up an injury in August and was initially ruled out until the New Year, but the latest update - from the player himself - is that he will be back within the next fortnight. Gerard Deulofeu is an interesting one, though, as the ex-Everton man has basically been told that he is not good enough to warrant a place in the squad.
Unzue, who spent three years at Camp Nou working as an assistant up until this summer, is the latest to claim that his former side are perhaps stronger without Neymar in the side. There is certainly more of a balance, with the Catalans looking pretty formidable at the moment. Just twice this season they have dropped league points; both in games away to top-four rivals when a draw could be seen as a positive result on the whole.
Both sets of players have now made their way down the Camp Nou tunnel, with kickoff just a couple of minutes away. Barcelona have dominated Celta Vigo here in recent meetings, but the Celts actually have a decent overall record in this fixture overall - they have taken more points from the Catalans than any other side in the last four years.
KICKOFF! Barcelona gets us up and running at Camp Nou, showing two changes from their last league outing at Valencia. Also two changes for Celta Vigo from their win over Leganes, as they aim to pick up a rare win here.
Sergio Gomez has picked up an injury in the opening 90 seconds in a big blow for Unzue. An awkward landing in an aerial battle with Luis Suarez, which has cut his afternoon well short. Some movement down on the Celta bench...
CELTA VIGO SUB! Gustavo Cabral replaces Sergio Gomez with barely any of this game played. Suarez was actually shown a yellow card for the challenge, but there was nothing at all in it - just one of those things, really.
The good news for Unzue is that he can still stick with his system, even if he would have preferred to keep Gomez in the heart of defence. The early injury and sub means that we have barely seen any sort of attacking action thus far.
SHOT! Lionel Messi at his best, somehow breaking away from five opposition players and getting a shot away at the end of it. The little maestro probably should have done better at the end, though, failing to test Ruben Blanco.
Suarez gets a shot away, but it was going into the side-netting - or maybe clipping the outside of the post - before Ruben Blanco got down to collect. Fairly slow start from the hosts, but they are starting to grow into the contest.
No doubt that Barca have yet to find their groove here in this early kickoff. Subdued atmosphere inside Camp Nou, not helped by the 1pm start local time, and a case of so far, so good as far as the visiting side are concerned.
First we have seen from the Sky Blues in an attacking sense, with the ball arriving in the box but Ter Stegen doing what was required to thwart the opposition. Just to confirm, Celta have indeed gone with two up top - Aspas and Gomez.
Messi with a rocket shot at one end, which appeared to hit Suarez on its way through before being cleared away. Celta counter and Mendez very nearly got a shot away on target, with the visitors showing that they are not here to sit back.
A real end-to-end feel to this match, with just the two shots of any note so far. Neither of those truly troubled Ruben Blanco in the Celta goal, with Barcelona still yet to reach full flow in the opening quarter of the contest.
GOAL! BARCELONA 0-1 CELTA VIGO (IAGO ASPAS)
Celta are rewarded for their brave approach play, netting the opening goal of the game through Iago Aspas. Ter Stegen initially produced a stunning stop - his second of the game - but Aspas was there to tuck home the rebound - his eighth goal of the season.
GOAL! BARCELONA 1-1 CELTA VIGO (LIONEL MESSI)
Messi ends his mini-drought in front of goal, which had seen him go five matches without scoring. Paulinho slides the ball through and the little forward tucked the ball past Ruben Blanco to restore parity just moments after Celta's shock lead.
GOAL DISALLOWED! Barcelona are the victims of yet another shocking call, this time after Suarez found the net on the end of a sublime Messi through-ball. Great goal, yet the officials wrongly flagged Suarez for being offside.
Barca have become a different beats since falling behind. All of a sudden their passing play is culminating in chances being created, with Rakitic crossing the ball right across the face of goal, but nobody was there to help it in.
Half an hour played at Camp Nou and it has been a lively contest to say the least. Celta have had a positive mindset from the off, which saw them rewarded with the game's opening goal, only for Messi to then cancel out Aspas's tap-in.
Barca beginning to dominate the shot count, but they still have just the two on target so far - one of them being Lionel Messi's close-range leveller. This is a gripping match so far, though, with both teams looking bright when on the ball.
SAVE! Rakitic with a fine cross from the right, which Paulinho somehow headed straight at Ruben Blanco. That is the closest the home side have come to taking the lead, 23 minutes or so after falling behind to an Aspas goal.
It has been pretty much all Barcelona since Celta's opener. Just seen a replay of the Aspas opener - Umtiti was dragged high up the pitch, explaining why Celta had so much space in the final third. Nice goal, but not seen a great deal since then.
Half time is fast approaching now and it is Barca who look by far the more likely to snatch a second. Celta have composed themselves once again over the last few minutes, though, with Mendenz's cross having a little too much on it for Aspas.
Pique got a touch to that Mendez cross - a huge interception it was, too, because Aspas was flying in and surely would have scored. These opening 40 minutes really have flown by, as Mendez sends the ball flying wide from 30 yards out.
CHANCE! Celta look so dangerous when they break forward - struggling to remember Barca being pulled around the pitch like this. The ball falls nicely for Wass at the back post, but he blasted horribly high of the target.
Barca's turn to attack now, with Messi unable to thread the ball through the eye of the needle. He has done so once already touch for Suarez, but the Uruguayan striker saw his legitimate goal ruled out for offside earlier in the half.
HALF TIME: BARCELONA 1-1 CELTA VIGO
With 24 goals being scored in the last four meetings between these two sides, a lively contest was expected and it more than lived up to the hype in the first half. Having been dealt a blow just a few minutes into the match with the loss of defender Sergio Gomez, Celta had to sit back a little as Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez both got shots away, the former at the end of a trademark slalom run.
The Sky Blues set up positively in terms of formation, though, with seven-goal Iago Aspas and Maxi Gomez playing alongside each other in attack, and they were rewarded 20 minutes in when their top scorer found the net. Barca were left completely exposed at the back when Samuel Umtiti was drawn high up the pitch and, after Marc-Andre ter Stegen produced one of the saves of the season to block the initial shot, Aspas was there to tuck home the rebound.
Less than two minutes later the Catalans were level, thanks to a smart finish from Messi to tuck the ball through Ruben Blanco's legs after being played through by Paulinho - his first goal since October 28. Luis Suarez put his side ahead moments later when latching on to an impressive Messi through-ball, only for the officials to wrongly flag him for offside. Paulinho and Daniel Wass then both squandered good openings at either end in a gripping conclusion to the first half.
BENCH WATCH!
BARCELONA SUBS: Cillessen, Digne, Gomes, Alcacer, D.Suarez, Vermaelen, Vidal
CELTA VIGO SUBS: Alvarez, Guidetti, Hernandez, Mor, Radoja, Roncaglia
RESTART! Celta Vigo get us back up and running at Camp Nou. Barcelona had the better of the first half, but the visitors looked very lively when they hit their opponents on the counter-attack and should not be written off.
No changes made by either manager at the break, incidentally. Celta had to turn to their bench early on as Sergio Gomez picked up an injury a couple of minutes in and was replaced by Cabral. Slow start to the second half in Catalonia.
So disappointing from Aspas! Celta with another chance to counter, but the ball over the top to Wass was horribly overhit. Barca are not learning their lessons and it would not be at all surprising if they were to concede a second.
CHANCE! Messi and Suarez cannot believe their eyes - hands on head moment! Paulinho rounds the keeper and, although the angle was slightly against him, you would have fancied him to find the net. Not quite - side-netting only!
Barca are not playing badly at the moment, but they are just lacking quality in the final third and are leaving themselves a little exposed at the back when over-committing. The Real Madrid fans watching on will no doubt sense an upset here!
BARCELONA SUB! Andres Iniesta is the first player to be sacrificed by Valverde, who has turned to Denis Suarez for the remaining 35 minutes or so. Just not quite happening for the home team at the moment, so a change of tack needed.
Got to wonder whether Celta will go defensive or instead roll the dice when Unzue makes his second change of the match. Guidetti is among their subs, so they certainly have the chance to really get at their opponents in the final 30 minutes.
Barcelona are only just edging the possession count at the moment - 58% to 42%. Barca heading towards successive league draws, which really would open the door for Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid and closest challengers Valencia to capitalise.
That first Barca change has not really helped change the flow of the game, with Paulinho dropping a little deeper and Denis Suarez providing attacking support. A far quieter second half compared to the all-action opening 45 minutes.
GOAL! BARCELONA 2-1 CELTA VIGO (LUIS SUAREZ)
Tough to say that Barcelona deserved this second goal on the basis of the second half, but they certainly know how to carve out wins this season when not at their best. A well-worked goal, too, as Alba squared it for Suarez to fire past Ruben Blanco.
SAVE! The Sky Blues wasted a couple of decent openings in the opening 55 minutes or so of the match, and you have got to wonder when the next chance will arrive. Messi with a headed attempt, which Ruben Blanco brilliantly keeps out.
CELTA VIGO SUB! The second half has finally sparked into life, as Aspas is so nearly through on goal. Roncaglia is now on for Mendez to provide some fresh legs, as Messi sees a shot in the box blocked behind for a corner.
SHOT! Twenty minutes left to go at Camp Nou and it is Celta who need to force a goal. Aspas with a shot from range, which barely troubled Ter Stegen down the middle, but the visitors do look like they have another goal in them.
GOAL! BARCELONA 2-2 CELTA VIGO (MAXI GOMEZ)
Right on cue, Celta do indeed find their second goal of the game! Aspas leaves Umtiti for dead down the right-hand side, with the defender pulling up injured in the process, and he then had the quality to spot Gomez to do the rest.
CLOSE! Samuel Umtiti could well be out until the New Year with that hamstring injury; Thomas Vermaelen the man coming on in his place. Another good chance for Barca, as Paulinho fired over the crossbar from inside the area.
OFF THE POST! A move worthy of a goal, with the ball being played into the path of Pique via Messi, only for the defender to hit the outside of the post from an angle. The visitors seriously holding on for this point at the moment.
YELLOW CARD! Roncaglia is shown a yellow for his strong challenge, which leads to some handbags. Valverde has thrown on Paco Alcacer for these final 12 minutes, with Rakitic the man to make way - a 4-2-4 formation now appears likely.
The good news for Barca is that they are enjoying plenty of possession in dangerous zones at the moment; the bad news is that Celta are doing just about enough to keep them out as we enter the final stages of the contest it Catalonia.
YELLOW CARD! Celta can sense a late winner here. Aspas does well yet again down the right, sending Pique to the ground but seeing his cross blocked by Alba. Jozabed Sanchez booked for a challenge to prevent the counter-attack.
CHANCE! So, so close to a late winner! Luis Suarez does well to pick out namesake Denis on the edge of the box. The shot is heading wide, but Messi nearly helped it back on target via his head. Not quite, but still six minutes to go.
SAVE! Ter Stegen needed to keep out a shot at one end, and Barca then quickly up the other winning a free kick in a good position after Sisto committed a foul. Goalkeeper Blanco also cautioned for apparently wasting time.
Barca unhappy as a decision goes against Luis Suarez, who felt that he deserved a corner kick. Two minutes of normal time left to play at Camp Nou, and Celta do not appear ready to sit back just yet. Great game of football in this early kickoff!
The fourth official has raised his board, which shows five minutes of added time! Barca not creating chances at the rate they were a little earlier, but they will surely muster something before the full-time whistle sounds here.
Two minutes down, three to go at Camp Nou! Five Celta players have now been cautioned in this second half, as they attempt to thwart Barca attacks at the earliest possible opportunity. Busquets's attempted through-ball is well cut out.
CHANCE! Glorious chance for Paco Alcacer to win the game right at the death! The cross came in from the right and the substitute was there to head it, but he could not keep it on target despite being under little pressure.
FULL TIME: BARCELONA 2-2 CELTA VIGO
Barcelona drop points for the second time in two games - and the first time at home in 12 months - as Celta Vigo earn a 2-2 draw at Camp Nou. The Catalans recovered from a goal down as Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez found the net either side of Iago Aspas's eighth-of-the-season opener. Maxi Gomez found a way through 20 minutes from time to earn his side a share of the spoils, however, profiting from some good work from attacking teammate Aspas down the right.
That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events at Camp Nou. An on-the-whistle report can be found by clicking here, while updates from Real Madrid's trip to Athletic Bilbao will be available later this evening. See you then!
