Celta de Vigo host Union Saint-Gilloise at Abanca-Balaídos on Thursday, November 5, in a Europa League match between sides with contrasting starts to the competition. Celta are 25th after one win and two defeats, while Union Saint-Gilloise sit sixth with seven points from three games. The visitors arrive unbeaten in their last 19 matches and have been particularly productive in front of goal. Celta, meanwhile, are looking to build on their first European victory of the campaign after a difficult result in their most recent fixture. With Union Saint-Gilloise’s attacking numbers and Celta’s mixed recent record, this meeting offers plenty to examine.

Celta de Vigo’s Recent Form and Key Stats

Celta de Vigo opened their Europa League win account with a 2-1 victory over Celtic on matchday three. Their overall record in the competition stands at one win and two losses, with averages of 1.0 goal scored and 1.3 conceded per game. They lost their only home match in the competition so far, making this fixture an opportunity to improve their European home record.

There is a gap between Celta’s chance creation and their scoring return. Across their three Europa League games, they have averaged 1.25 expected goals but scored three times. At the other end, their average of 0.89 expected goals against per 90 minutes is the fifth-best figure in the competition. That defensive measure is encouraging, although it has not prevented them from conceding in their recent matches.

Their latest result was a 3-0 defeat to Rayo Vallecano on October 31. Across Celta’s last five matches, they have recorded two wins, one draw and two defeats, averaging 1.0 goal scored and 1.4 conceded. They have kept just one clean sheet in that five-game spell. Another notable pattern concerns the second half: at least one goal has been scored after the break in each of Celta’s last 13 Europa League matches. Their recent results therefore give them reasons for both confidence and caution ahead of the visit of Union Saint-Gilloise.

Union Saint-Gilloise’s Recent Form and Key Stats

Union Saint-Gilloise have made a much stronger start in the Europa League. Two wins and one draw have brought them seven points, and their eight goals across three matches work out at 2.7 per game. They are conceding an average of just 0.3 goals in the competition. A 4-0 win over Hapoel Beer Sheva on matchday three underlined their attacking output, while their total of 7.80 expected goals is the third-highest in the Europa League.

Their form also extends beyond European matches. Union Saint-Gilloise beat SK Beveren 2-1 on October 31 and have taken four wins and a draw from their last five games. During that run, they have averaged 3.0 goals scored and 0.8 conceded. They are unbeaten in their last 19 matches, have scored at least once in each of their last 12, and have seen more than 1.5 total goals in all 12 of those fixtures.

Travelling has not interrupted that momentum: Union Saint-Gilloise have won their last five away games in all competitions, scoring at least twice in every one. Their Europa League away results nevertheless point to some restraint in the overall scoreline, with under 3.5 total goals in their last 11 away matches in the competition. The same total-goals threshold has held in 20 of their last 21 Europa League games. Those trends sit alongside their strong scoring record rather than diminishing it.

Celta de Vigo vs Union Saint-Gilloise Match Analysis

The central question in this Europa League preview is whether Celta can turn their promising defensive expected-goals figure into a more secure result against one of the competition’s most productive attacks. The home side’s win over Celtic showed they can find a way through in Europe, but the subsequent defeat to Rayo Vallecano and their recent clean-sheet record leave room for concern. Union Saint-Gilloise, by contrast, have combined consistent results with goals across both their European campaign and their latest five matches.

There are reasons not to reduce the match to the visitors’ attacking form alone. Celta’s 0.89 expected goals against per 90 suggests opponents have not consistently generated high-quality chances against them in this competition. Union Saint-Gilloise’s run of Europa League games with fewer than four total goals also argues against assuming an unrestricted contest. Still, the visitors’ eight goals in three European fixtures and their sequence of five away wins, each featuring at least two goals scored, present a demanding test for a Celta side that has conceded in four of its last five matches.

Goals after half-time are another shared feature of the teams’ records. Celta’s last 13 Europa League matches have each contained a second-half goal, as have Union Saint-Gilloise’s last 12 matches across competitions. Alongside the visitors’ scoring streak and Celta’s recent results, that pattern makes the full 90 minutes important when assessing the possible scoreline. Union Saint-Gilloise bring the stronger form into the fixture, but Celta’s recent European win gives the hosts a result to build on as they seek to improve their position.

Celta de Vigo vs Union Saint-Gilloise prediction from BetMines: Over 2.5 goals with 56% probability.