Celtic take on the visitors Stuttgart in the first leg of UEFA Europa League round of 1/16-finals. The match will be played on Thursday, February 19th at Celtic Park (Glasgow).
Celtic also stumbled last football year, losing the cup final. However, once again they managed to secure the Premiership title, which seemed to confirm their domestic dominance. Few could have imagined that after such success the club would face a major crisis: they were knocked out in cup competitions again and, in the league, finished behind not only Rangers, who themselves were far from impressive, but also the surprise package Hearts. In the Champions League, nothing worked either: both matches against Kairat ended goalless, and the Kazakh side proved more successful in the penalty shootout. Dropping down to the less prestigious Europa League, the Glasgow side performed not brilliantly but solidly enough, winning and losing three matches each with two draws to reach the playoffs. Recently, Celtic have at least shown more attacking intent, which has helped them stay competitive in tight games. At home, they are still capable of raising their level and making matches open and unpredictable.
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VfB Stuttgart are delivering solid results across competitions. The Swabians made a huge breakthrough two seasons ago by finishing as league runners-up. After that, they slipped back into mid-table in the Bundesliga and struggled in the Champions League, failing to reach the knockout stage. Still, the club kept faith in their approach and were rewarded with a cup triumph, and they now have every chance to defend that title, having already reached the semifinals of the new edition. In the Bundesliga, Stuttgart are also doing reasonably well in the fight for a top-four finish, especially after a strong run of wins in mid-winter. In the Europa League, despite modest away results with three defeats on the road, perfect performances in their other matches allowed them to progress comfortably to the playoffs. Their overall form looks more stable than earlier in the season, with consistent results in key fixtures. Even away from home, Stuttgart tend to play proactively, which often leads to open matches.
The clubs met in the playoffs back in 2003. The Scottish side won 3–1 at home in Glasgow and then lost 2–3 in Germany, ultimately progressing on aggregate. The German side will be fairly clear favorites even away from home. However, their opponent has shown signs of revival under a new manager, so the better option is to back over 2.5 total goals.
Prediction for the match: Over 2.5 scored goals.
