Celta opened its league season against Valencia at Mestalla on Friday at 19.30, and Claudio Giráldez walked into the game with more questions than certainties. Ilaix Moriba was back in the squad after missing the preseason mini-tour in Italy because of low physical condition, while the coach kept the door open on several starting spots.
That matters because this was not just another early fixture. Celta's first league match was pushed back a week after the opening-round game at Balaídos was postponed because the pitch was in poor condition, so the trip to Mestalla on Movistar LaLiga became the team's real first test in Primera. Giráldez said he expected surprises in the lineup, and he was not hiding the scale of the rotation: after 107 straight matches without repeating a side, he was set to name his 108th different lineup.
The biggest weights sat in attack and goal. Radu had the edge over Altay Bayindir for the starting goalkeeper role, but the decision was not made. Up front, the choice was whether to go with Iago Aspas or Hugo González, the preseason top scorer and a revelation. Around them, Javi Rodríguez and Marcos Alonso were seen as safe picks in central defense, Yoel Lago and Carl Starfelt were fighting for the remaining central spot, Javi Rueda was the favorite on the right flank, Álvaro Núñez was the second option there, Sergio Carreira was expected on the left, and Miguel Román and Aleix Febas were projected as the midfield pairing.
Moriba's return gave the selection puzzle a different shape. Giráldez said he had trained very well and stressed that he had been an important player, which explained why he was included despite the fitness setback. Javi Galán and Pablo Durán were also available after recovering from the medical room, while Matías Vecino's departure was made official on Thursday and Carles Pérez was left out for technical reasons as the club kept looking for a team for him. That leaves Giráldez with a simple but telling problem: the squad was ready enough to play, but the starting XI was still being written on the day of the match.
What follows from here is clear. Celta's first league team of the season will either lean on experience with Aspas or give the opening nod to González, but the coach's own words made one thing plain before kickoff: the decision was not taken.
