[2026–27 UEFA Europa League] Celtic vs RC Celta de Vigo: Match Preview Kick-off: 19:00 UTC on 22 October
Celtic and RC Celta de Vigo meet at Celtic Park in Glasgow on 22 October at 19:00 UTC for matchday three of the UEFA Europa League league phase. Both teams lost their first two games and have no points. Celtic need to carry their domestic form into Europe, while RC Celta de Vigo are looking for their first away win of the season.
1. Match overview and team form
Celtic sit top of the Scottish league with eight wins and one defeat from nine matches, scoring 23 goals and conceding five. In the Europa League, though, they lost 1-3 at home to Ferencváros and 1-4 away to Benfica. After the 7-1 win over Hearts, manager Martin O'Neill stressed the need to win on Thursday, saying another defeat would put them back in crisis (PA, 18 October). Celtic have scored nine goals across their last two domestic games, but their defence is the concern after conceding at least three in each of their last three European matches.
RC Celta de Vigo have two wins, five draws and two defeats from nine La Liga matches. They bounced back at home with a 5-0 win over Racing Santander and a 2-1 victory against Alavés, but their five away games this season have brought four draws, one defeat and just one goal. At Elche, they struggled to play through the press and finished 0-0 without a shot on target. They had plenty of possession away to Valencia and Getafe too, but lacked accuracy with the final pass. Manager Claudio Giraldez said he wants to collect Europa League points quickly, while making clear that staying in La Liga remains the main objective (Metropolitano, 21 October).
This season Europa League: Celtic, 2 defeats, 2 goals scored and 7 conceded / RC Celta de Vigo, 2 defeats, 1 goal scored and 3 conceded Domestic league: Celtic, 8 wins and 1 defeat in 9 matches / RC Celta de Vigo, 2 wins, 5 draws and 2 defeats in 9 matches Last match: Celtic beat Hearts 7-1 / RC Celta de Vigo beat Alavés 2-1
Celtic have returned to a 4-2-3-1 since their recent match against Motherwell. Against Hearts, they scored twice early in the first half from Bauer's corner kicks, while Callum Osmand's pressing turned an inaccurate pass into an attacking chance. Hearts also pressed Celtic's build-up early and attempted 20 shots. The big win alone does not mean Celtic have fixed the defensive problems that have shown up in Europe.
RC Celta de Vigo usually line up in a 3-4-3, but the starting XI and players' roles change often. Against Racing Santander, they won the ball centrally and moved forward to score. Against Alavés, they changed their attacking route after a half-time substitution, with right centre-back Javier Rodriguez getting forward as they scored twice. At Elche, though, they kept even the wing-backs deep and still struggled to get the ball to their forwards. How far Giraldez pushes the wing-backs at Celtic Park may depend on his selection and how the match unfolds.
Absences for both teams could affect their tactics. Celtic will be without centre-backs Auston Trusty and Cameron Carter-Vickers, so Dane Murray and Liam Scales are likely to start together. They started the last two matches against Motherwell and Hearts, conceding once, but have not yet played as a pair against a European side. Right-back Alistair Johnston is also out, leaving few alternatives to Colby Donovan. Callum Osmand was taken off at half-time against Hearts as a precaution because of a hamstring concern, but he was not included on the subsequent injury list.
RC Celta de Vigo will be without Carl Starfelt and Alvaro Núñez, reducing their aerial strength at the back and their options in defence. Up front, Borja Iglesias and Miguel Román are unavailable. Iglesias provided an outlet for long balls and linked up with teammates, while Román helped with pressing and carrying the ball forward. Iago Aspas and Pablo Durán are candidates to start, but Giraldez has said Aspas is not ready to play 90 minutes. How he uses the two players in the second half could also shape Celta's attack.
Both teams played league matches at home on 18 October. RC Celta de Vigo travelled around 1,600 km from Vigo, though the distance alone does not tell us how much of a fitness gap there will be. The atmosphere in the stands may be different from usual because the Green Brigade supporters' group is boycotting Celtic's Europa League home matches. The teams met twice in the 2002-03 UEFA Cup, but those squads and the way the game is played now offer little basis for judging this match.
2. Match-up analysis
Celtic will first look to target the RC Celta de Vigo penalty area. Bauer's corners led to early goals from Tierney and Benjamin Nygren against Hearts. Tierney's forward runs down the left and crosses are another route to goal. RC Celta de Vigo conceded from a corner against Getafe and failed to stop an opponent getting on the end of a cross against Juventus, which led to the winning goal. Starfelt and Núñez are both missing too. Celtic have scored from set pieces without relying only on centre-backs, so the absences do not affect both teams equally in this area.
Corner numbers do not guarantee goals, though. Celtic had 11 corners against Ferencváros and scored once, while they managed only two goals from 25 shots against Motherwell. RC Celta de Vigo could keep their wing-backs deep, pack the penalty area and rely on goalkeeper Ionuț Radu to save shots, which could delay Celtic's breakthrough. Radu has made important saves away to Real Sociedad and against Alavés. Celta could also keep possession and limit Celtic's attacks while the hosts repeatedly cross the ball.
Callum Osmand's pressing gives Celtic another way to score. Against Hearts, his pressure and interception helped set up an attack that ended with two goals from Callum Osmand. At Elche, RC Celta de Vigo were pressed early and Radu had to go long, with Iglesias coming on later to hold up those balls. Iglesias is unavailable this time. If Celta's centre-backs and midfielders cannot complete their first passes, Celtic could win the ball in the attacking third and quickly create a shooting chance. If Celta play through the press, they could find space behind Celtic's advanced players.
That space is also Celtic's biggest defensive risk. Ferencváros and Benfica found ways to attack the Celtic full-backs and create goals. If Donovan loses the ball after pushing forward, players such as Williot Swedberg, Hugo Álvarez and Pablo Durán could attack down Celtic's right. Celtic also need to protect the middle without Trusty and Carter-Vickers. If McGregor cannot stop Celta's first forward pass in front of the defence, Murray and Scales may have to deal directly with attackers arriving from the flanks.
RC Celta de Vigo have shown they can exploit that kind of situation. Their opener against Juventus came after Jutglà, Rueda and Swedberg combined inside the penalty area before Hugo Álvarez finished. Aspas can also receive the ball between Celtic's defence and midfield. Still, Celta's only goal in five away games this season came from a corner headed in by the unavailable Starfelt. Celtic's defensive weakness is clear, but whether Celta can turn it into several goals away from home is a separate question.
The managers' decisions after the first goal will matter. If Celtic take the lead, Celta could push their wing-backs forward or bring on Aspas and Pablo Durán earlier. That would give Celta more attacking opportunities, while also leaving space for Celtic's wide players behind the wing-backs. If the score stays 0-0 for a long time, Celtic may push their full-backs and wingers higher as they chase a win. Giraldez changed Celta's attacking approach with a half-time substitution against Alavés. If Celtic do not score early, the second-half changes and their defending out wide could prove important.
3. Verdict and conclusion
Our predicted score is Celtic 3-1. We expect Celtic to take the lead in the first half from a chance created by one of Bauer's corners or Callum Osmand's pressing, then extend their advantage with wide attacks and set pieces when Celta push forward in the second half. RC Celta de Vigo could also pull one back by attacking behind Celtic's right side just after the hosts lose possession.
Celtic have scored recently through set pieces and high pressing, and the key players involved in those attacks are available. Celta will be missing Starfelt and Núñez, leaving them with fewer defenders to deal with Celtic's corners, while the absence of Iglesias makes it harder to escape Celtic's press with long balls. Celtic's makeshift centre-back pairing leaves them open to conceding, but Celta have scored only once in five away games this season.
The market has given RC Celta de Vigo a slight edge, pointing to the gap between the leagues and Celtic's heavy European defeats. Both points have merit. For this match, though, we give more weight to how directly Celta's absentees affect their ability to handle Celtic's corners and pressing. The outlook changes if Celtic's corners keep getting dealt with and Celta play through the press to keep possession in the first 30 minutes. In that case, Celtic could remain scoreless while their defence is repeatedly tested in transition.
