Celtic host Celta de Vigo at Celtic Park in Glasgow on Thursday, October 22, with both teams seeking their first points of the Europa League league phase. Kick-off is scheduled for 19:00 local time. Celtic sit 33rd after two defeats, while Celta are 29th with the same record. Both won domestically on October 18, but those results have yet to answer the questions raised by their European starts. Celtic have conceded seven goals across their opening two Europa League matches; Celta have scored only once in theirs. With neither side able to afford another setback, this matchday-three meeting gives them an early opportunity to change course.

Celtic's Recent Form and Key Stats

Celtic responded to their 4-1 Europa League defeat away to Benfica with a 7-1 win over Hearts. That emphatic result offers encouragement before they return to European action, though it contrasts sharply with their league-phase form. Celtic also lost 3-1 at home to Ferencvaros on matchday one, leaving them with two defeats, two goals scored and seven conceded in the competition. Their most recent five matches across competitions have brought two wins and three losses, with averages of 2.2 goals scored and 1.8 conceded per game.

Home advantage has not guaranteed Celtic a result in Europe: they have lost four of their last seven home UEFA matches. Their games at Celtic Park have, however, regularly featured goals. Over 1.5 total goals have been scored in each of their last 15 Europa League home fixtures, while Celtic themselves have scored at least once in 19 of their last 20 home matches across competitions. They have not drawn any of their last 21 matches, nor any of their last 15 Europa League home games. Those runs point to decisive results in recent Celtic fixtures, even if they offer no assurance about which team will take the points on Thursday.

Defensive absences add to Celtic's concerns after they conceded at least three goals in each of their last three UEFA games. Cameron Carter-Vickers, Yang Hyun-Jun and Alistair Johnston are unavailable. At the other end, Camilo Duran has scored in each of Celtic's last three competitive matches. His recent contribution gives the hosts a positive attacking thread to carry into a game where they need to improve considerably on their opening European performances.

Celta de Vigo's Recent Form and Key Stats

Celta de Vigo also arrive after a domestic victory, beating Deportivo Alavés 2-1 on October 18. That followed a 2-1 home defeat to Juventus in the Europa League. Celta's last five matches across competitions comprise two wins, one draw and two defeats; during that spell, they have averaged 1.6 goals scored and 0.8 conceded per game. Their league-phase figures are less reassuring: no points from two matches, with an average of 0.5 goals scored and 1.5 conceded.

The visitors' away results make this a demanding trip. Celta have not won any of their five competitive away fixtures this season, drawing four and losing one. Three of those trips ended 0-0, showing both how difficult they can be to break down and how often they have struggled to find a goal on the road. Across their last 10 away matches, every game has finished with under 3.5 total goals, and three have ended goalless. Celta will look to build on their weekend win without relying on a pattern that has yet to produce an away victory this season.

Celta are also missing Carl Starfelt, Pablo Duran, Borja Iglesias and Jones El-Abdellaoui. Ferran Jutgla scored their opening goal against Deportivo Alavés, while Hugo Alvarez has supplied Celta's only Europa League goal so far. Finding another attacking contribution would help address their slow start in the competition, particularly against a Celtic side that has conceded heavily in Europe.

Celtic vs Celta de Vigo Match Analysis

The central question in this Europa League preview is whether Celtic's latest attacking display can carry over to Thursday or whether Celta's low-scoring away pattern will shape the match. Celtic's 7-1 win over Hearts was a marked improvement on their European results, but their defensive record leaves Celta with an opportunity. Equally, the visitors' three goalless draws among five away trips show why Celtic cannot treat their opponents' winless travel record as a straightforward advantage.

The teams' recent first-half figures offer another perspective. At least one goal has been scored before half-time in Celtic's last 11 Europa League matches, as well as in 18 of their last 20 home matches across competitions. Celta's away games present a different pattern: at least one team has failed to score before the interval in each of their last 20 away matches. These figures do not establish who will start faster, but they make the opening period an important part of the contest to watch.

Celtic have the home setting and the stronger result from the weekend, while Celta have shown they can collect draws away from home despite not yet winning on their travels this season. Both need to turn their Europa League form around, and their contrasting recent goal trends make a confident full-time call difficult. An early goal could give either side a valuable foothold in a fixture where points have so far proved elusive.

Celtic vs Celta de Vigo prediction from BetMines: Over 0.5 goals at Half-Time with 77% probability.