Celtic will host Slovan Bratislava in the first round of the new Champions League season on Wednesday, 18 September.
Will Celtic remain perfect this season even after this match or will Slovan Bratislava surprise us all once again? Read about this match in our Celtic vs Slovan Bratislava prediction and preview, but don't forget to check out some of our other Champions League betting tips too.
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Celtic vs Slovan Bratislava prediction: Guests to put up a good fight
Key stats
- Slovan Bratislava have gone over 2.5 total goals in their last four games in a row.
- In the eight games in the Champions League qualifiers, Slovan Bratislava have averaged 3.13 total goals per game.
- Celtic have won all of their games so far, but they only played domestic competitions, while Slovan Bratislava have only lost once this season despite having to go through four rounds of qualifiers to get to the league phase of the Champions League.
Correct score prediction: Celtic 2-1 Slovan Bratislava
While Celtic are huge favourites to win the match, we don't see this being a one-sided game. In fact, we expect Slovan to do well and put up a fight, with Celtic edging them out by one goal.
Pre-game odds and win probability: Celtic the absolute favourites
- HOME: 3/10 (1.30) – 76.90%
- DRAW: 17/4 (5.25) – 19.00%
- AWAY: 8/1 (9.00) – 11.10%
We can see from these Celtic vs Slovan Bratislava odds that the hosts are the expected winners, which is understandable given their amazing form at the start of the season.
That being said, Slovan Bratislava have also been on an impressive run of form and we were surprised to see Celtic favoured so heavily since they have yet to be tested in Europe this season.
In any case, if you liked our predictions for this duel, take a closer look at our favourite betting tips for today.
Most recent H2Hs: Long time since their last meeting
These two teams have only met twice before and it was all the way back in the 1963/1964 season when they played each other in the quarter-final of the Cup Winners Cup. Celtic have emerged victorious from both of those games, beating Slovan 1-0 twice in a row.
Celtic preview: Hoping to keep their winning streak alive
Since the season started, Celtic have won six games in a row, five of which came in the Scottish Premiership and five in the Scottish League Cup. If we go back to last season, Celtic are on a streak of 23 games without a loss and they'll be hoping to keep this streak going against Slovan Bratislava on Wednesday.
When it comes to team news, only Maik Nawrocki is currently out with an injury.
Predicted lineup: Schmeichel (GK), Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Taylor, Engels, McGregor, Hatate, Kuhn, Kyogo & Maeda
UEFA Champions League 01/10/24
L
Borussia Dortmund
7
Celtic
1
Scotland Premiership 28/09/24
W
St Johnstone
0
Celtic
6
Scotland League Cup 22/09/24
W
Falkirk
2
Celtic
5
UEFA Champions League 18/09/24
W
Slovan Bratislava
1
Celtic
5
Scotland Premiership 14/09/24
W
Hearts
0
Celtic
2
Slovan Bratislava preview: Looking to keep their good form going
It's been a fantastic journey for Slovan Bratislava to reach the league phase of the Champions League after having to go through four rounds of qualifiers, in which they've eliminated Struga, Celje, APOEL, and Midtjylland. Now they find themselves in the elite and they'll want to show they belong here, starting with their first game against Celtic.
Just like their upcoming opponents, Slovan also only have one injured player at this time and it is their central defender Lukas Pauschek.
Predicted lineup: Takac (GK), Blackman, Kashia, Bajric, Wimmer, Szoke, Kucka, Tolic, Barseghyan, Strelec & Weiss Jr
UEFA Champions League 01/10/24
L
Man City
4
Slovan Bratislava
0
Slovakia Super Liga 27/09/24
W
MFK Zemplin Michalovce
2
Slovan Bratislava
4
Slovakia Cup 24/09/24
W
TJ Kovo Belusa
1
Slovan Bratislava
6
Slovakia Super Liga 21/09/24
W
MFK Ruzomberok
1
Slovan Bratislava
2
UEFA Champions League 18/09/24
L
Celtic
5
Slovan Bratislava
1
Player to watch: Callum McGregor
With three goals to his name in the Scottish Premiership this season, the experienced midfielder has shown he's one of Celtic's crucial cogs on the offensive end of the pitch and we can see him doing well against Slovan Bratislava too.
