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Celtic welcome Besiktas to Celtic Park on Thursday evening for a Europa League league-phase encounter, with the Scottish champions desperate to get their campaign up and running.
The hosts have endured a miserable start to their European season, losing all three of their opening matches against Ferencvaros, Benfica and Celta Vigo, sitting 35th in the 36-team standings with no points, while the visitors have collected seven points from their first three fixtures and are eighth in the table.
Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below, and make sure to check out our today's betting tips page for more of our expert predictions.
Celtic vs. Besiktas key stats
- Celtic have lost all three of their Europa League league-phase matches this season.
- Celtic have scored three goals and conceded nine across those three European fixtures.
- Besiktas have collected seven points from their opening three matches, scoring nine goals.
- Both teams have scored in five of Celtic's last six matches across all competitions.
Celtic vs. Besiktas preview: Can Besiktas take advantage of Celtic's European struggles?
Celtic vs Besiktas — Tale of the Tape
| Celtic | vs | Besiktas |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Position | 4th |
| 28 | Points | 19 |
| 15 | Goals For | 20 |
| 12 | Goals Against | 12 |
| 4 | Clean Sheets | 3 |
| 2nd (H) | Home / Away Rank | 13th (A) |
Celtic's European campaign has been a major disappointment, with Martin O'Neill's side yet to collect a point after three matches.
Their opening 3-1 home defeat to Ferencvaros was followed by a 4-1 loss away to Benfica, before Celta Vigo came from behind to win 2-1 at Celtic Park on October 22.
The defeat to Celta was particularly frustrating for the hosts, who had taken the lead through Benjamin Baur shortly after half-time. However, two goals from the visitors in a three-minute spell turned the game around and left Celtic facing a third consecutive European defeat.
Their domestic form has offered little reassurance either, as after beating Hibernian 2-1, they were held to a 2-2 draw by Dundee United three days later.
Their problems continued on Sunday, when they suffered a 2-0 defeat away to Falkirk, with Ethan Ross and Scott Tanser scoring in the first half.
That result was another setback for O'Neill, whose side have now lost six of their last 10 matches across all competitions.
Celtic are dealing with several availability concerns ahead of Thursday's match, as Alistair Johnston remains sidelined with a hamstring injury, while Yang Hyun-jun is also unavailable as he continues his recovery from a similar problem.
Kieran Tierney picked up a couple of knocks during the defeat to Falkirk and will need to be assessed before the game.
Besiktas will arrive in Glasgow with considerably greater confidence after taking seven points from their opening three Europa League matches.
They began with an impressive 4-1 victory over Marseille before beating Hoffenheim 3-2 in Germany, and their most recent European outing ended in a 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace, a match in which they surrendered a lead after half-time.
Besiktas also arrive after a mixed run of domestic results, losing 2-0 away to Trabzonspor before responding with a 2-0 home victory over Istanbul Basaksehir before drawing 2-2 at Kasimpasa on Sunday.
There is no competitive head-to-head history between the clubs, so Thursday's fixture will be their first meeting.
Besiktas have their own injury problems, with Milot Rashica and Vaclav Cerny expected to miss out because of hamstring issues.
Orkun Kokcu is also sidelined with a heel problem, while Fabio Miretti is recovering from a shoulder injury. Umit Akdag is suspended after being sent off against Crystal Palace.
Celtic vs. Besiktas form guide & betting tips
| Celtic | vs | Besiktas |
|---|---|---|
WLWDL |
Form | WLDWD |
| 12 | Goals For | 9 |
| 8 | Goals Against | 8 |
LLL |
Europa League | WWD |
Whispers predicts: Celtic 1-2 Besiktas
The visitors have collected seven points from their opening three Europa League matches, while Celtic have lost all three. Besiktas look better equipped to take advantage of the hosts' current difficulties and an away win at 2.35 (27/20) has a lot of value.
Celtic have conceded nine goals in three European matches, while Besiktas have scored nine in the same number of fixtures. Both teams have shown attacking potential but also defensive weaknesses, making over 2.5 goals at 1.69 (69/100) and both teams to score (53/100) great picks.
> Both teams to score at 1.53 (8/15) | Likelihood: High
> Over 2.5 goals at 1.69 (7/10) | Likelihood: High
> Besiktas win at 2.35 (27/20) | Likelihood: Medium
> Correct score: Celtic 1-2 Besiktas at 9.50 (17/2) | Likelihood: Low