Celtic v Celta Vigo: Preview, expected line-ups, stats and where to watch

Where to Watch Celtic v Celta Vigo: TV and online streams

Celtic versus Celta Vigo kicks off at 8pm BST on Thursday, October 22 at Celtic Park.

The match is live on TNT Sports 3 in the UK. In the US, it’s on Paramount+ at 3pm ET.

For a full list of global broadcasters, click HERE.

Preview for Celtic v Celta Vigo

Something has to give at Celtic Park on Thursday night. Celtic and Celta Vigo have both lost their opening two Europa League games, and with six rounds of the league phase still to go, neither can afford a third defeat.

Martin O’Neill’s side are in a European rut. After losing 3-1 at home to Ferencváros on matchday one, they were thrashed 4-1 by Benfica in Lisbon last week. That made it three straight defeats in continental competition, with 12 goals conceded across those games, and Celtic sit 34th in the 36-team table.

Celtic Park hasn’t been the fortress it once was either. They have lost three of their last four Europa League main-draw games at home, and there will be plenty of empty seats on Thursday as some home supporters continue a boycott in protest at the club’s ownership.

Domestically, though, Celtic are flying. They hammered Hearts 7-1 on Sunday, and O’Neill was adamant afterwards that the European campaign can still be rescued.

Celta are in a similar position in Europe. Claudio Giráldez’s side lost to Omonia and then to Juventus, both by a single goal, and they sit 29th. Their La Liga form is much better, with seven points from their last three games, and 3,000 travelling fans are expected in Glasgow.

There’s a nice piece of history here for O’Neill. The only previous meetings between the clubs came in the third round of the UEFA Cup in 2002-03, when O’Neill was in his first spell as Celtic boss. Celtic went through on away goals and went all the way to the final in Seville.

Europa League Table

Team News for Celtic v Celta Vigo

Cameron Carter-Vickers remains out with a strain and isn’t expected back until the weekend. Alistair Johnston is close to returning from his hamstring injury, but Thursday is likely to come too soon, and Yang Hyun-jun is also unavailable.

Callum Osmand went off at half-time against Hearts with a hamstring problem, but O’Neill said the change was precautionary and expects him to be ready.

Camilo Durán is in good form, having scored in each of his last two games, and Mika Baur is one of only two Celtic players to score in this season’s Europa League.

Hugo Álvarez, who scored against Juventus and is Celta’s only Europa League scorer so far, is expected to start, along with Ilaix Moriba. Ferran Jutglà has two goals this season and should lead the line.

Expected line-ups for Celtic v Celta Vigo

Celtic: Sinisalo; Donovan, Murray, Trusty, Tierney; McGregor, Baur; Durán, Sørensen, Tounekti; Høgh

Celta Vigo: Radu; Rodríguez, Lago, Alonso; Rueda, Moriba, Febas, Carreira; Álvarez, Jutglà, Swedberg

Stats for Celtic v Celta Vigo

• Neither side has kept a clean sheet in this season’s Europa League.
• Celtic knocked Celta out of the UEFA Cup on away goals in 2002-03, the only previous meetings between the clubs.
• Celtic have lost their past three European matches, conceding 3+ goals each time (12 in total). The Parkhead club have only lost four in a row within a single season once before, doing so in the 2017-18 Champions League.
• Celta Vigo have lost both of their previous away European matches in Scotland, losing 1-0 at Aberdeen in 1971 and Celtic in 2002.

Prediction for Celtic v Celta Vigo

Celtic are struggling to make the leap from the domestic league to better opposition in Europe. Celta are experienced European campaigners and we fancy them to edge this one.

Celtic

1 – 2

Celta Vigo

Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: 101greatgoals.com