With a place in the Europa League‘s round of 16 at stake, hosts Celtic will want to take a first-leg lead into their return match against Stuttgart, who they face at Celtic Park on Thursday.
The Bhoys finished 21st with just 11 points from eight games in the league phase, whereas the German visitors finished in 11th place with 15 points, and they will feel they could have qualified automatically given they only ended up one point behind eighth-placed Roma.
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Celtic vs Stuttgart prediction: Goals, goals, goals
Key stats
- Celtic have scored at least two goals in four of their past six games in the Europa League.
- At least three goals were scored in five of the last six matches involving Stuttgart.
- The visitors have netted at least twice in eight of their 13 most recent fixtures.
Correct score prediction: Celtic 2-2 Stuttgart
Celtic have often used their home crowd to great effect in Europe, and though they may have to defend for large periods against their opponents, it would not be surprising if the atmosphere helped push the team forward.
Stuttgart have been excellent in front of goal, and while they may struggle to deal with the fervent crowd on Thursday, escaping Celtic Park while avoiding defeat would put them in a commanding position ahead of the second leg.
Pre-game odds and win probability: Stuttgart predicted to win by the bookmakers
- HOME: 9/4 (3.25) – 30.8%
- DRAW: 13/5 (3.6) – 27.8%
- AWAY: 11/10 (2.1) – 47.6%
*odds from Ladbrokes, subject to change
Stuttgart are the expected winner of this clash, with a probability of 47.6%, but the bookmakers have not ruled Celtic out entirely considering they have given them a 30.8% chance of coming away from the first leg with a lead.
You can find all our predictions for today's games on our football betting tips page.
Most recent H2Hs: A rare encounter
The two clubs will be meeting for only the third time, with their previous meetings coming in the fourth round of the UEFA Cup in the 2002-03 season, a competition that has since evolved into the Europa League.
Celtic emerged as 3-1 winners at home in the first leg on February 20, 2023 before losing 3-2 in the reverse fixture seven days later, but they were eventually beaten in the competition's final by Porto.
Celtic preview: Positive form at the right time?
Celtic could hardly be in better form ahead of Thursday's game, with the club enjoying an unbeaten streak spanning 10 games, a period in which they claimed victory on eight occasions.
The hosts will almost certainly want to give minutes to their January signings, so fans should expect to see the likes of Julian Araujo and Junior Adamu in the XI, with those two having been registered for the Scottish side's Europa League campaign.
Predicted lineup: Schmeichel (GK), Araujo, Trusty, Scales, Tierney, Nygren, McGregor, Hatate, Adamu, Cvancara & Maeda
Last five results:
- 15/02/26: Kilmarnock 2-3 Celtic (Scottish Premiership)
- 11/02/26: Celtic 2-1 Livingston (Scottish Premiership)
- 07/02/26: Celtic 2-1 Dundee FC (Scottish Cup)
- 01/02/26: Celtic 2-0 Falkirk (Scottish Premiership)
- 29/01/26: Celtic 4-2 Utrecht (Europa League)
Stuttgart preview: Back on track
Having suffered an unexpected 2-1 loss against St Pauli on February 7 in the Bundesliga, Stuttgart bounced back seven days later to win 3-1 against FC Koln, claiming their fifth triumph in six matches.
If the visitors are to get the better of the home crowd, they will need forwards Deniz Undav and Ermedin Demirovic to continue their strong performances in attack.
Predicted lineup: Nubel (GK), Assignon, Jeltsch, Chabot, Mittelstadt, Karazor, Andres, Leweling, Undav, Fuhrich & Demirovic
Last five results:
- 14/02/36: Stuttgart 3-1 FC Koln (Bundesliga)
- 07/02/26: St Pauli 2-1 Stuttgart (Bundesliga)
- 04/02/26: Holstein Kiel 0-3 Stuttgart (DFB-Pokal)
- 01/02/26: Stuttgart 1-0 Freiburg (Bundesliga)
- 29/01/26: Stuttgart 3-2 Young Boys (Europa League)
Player to watch: Kasper Schmeichel
Stuttgart's form in the final third has been exceptional, and if Celtic are to come through Thursday's contest with a positive result, then goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel must be ready for a barrage of attacks.
While the shot-stopper has kept 12 clean sheets in the Scottish top flight, he failed to prevent any of Celtic's eight opponents from scoring in the league phase, though the defence in front of him has admittedly not been at their best this season.