Stuttgart take on the visitors Celtic in the second leg of UEFA Europa League round of 1/16-finals. First leg result: 4-1. The match will be played on Thursday, February 26th at MHPArena (Stuttgart).
Stuttgart made a smart decision by appointing the previously little-known coach Sebastian Hoeness. He started by managing to avoid relegation to the 2. Bundesliga and then lifted the team all the way up to second place. Yes, they later performed poorly in the Champions League and slipped back to mid-table domestically. However, in 2024/2025 they still ended the season on a high note by winning the cup. By the way, they have already reached the semifinals there and have a real chance to defend the trophy. At the same time, Stuttgart have improved in the Bundesliga and can realistically aim for fourth, or even third place. In parallel, they also looked quite solid in the Europa League. With five wins, even despite three defeats, the Germans managed to reach the playoffs. True, they fell just short of finishing in the top eight and therefore could not skip the current knockout round. Recently, Stuttgart have been showing confident form, especially in decisive matches. Their results suggest a growing stability that allows them to control games rather than react to opponents.
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Celtic have run into unexpectedly serious problems. The Green and Whites seem to be the unquestioned flagship of modern Scottish football. Last season, they once again won the Premiership without major difficulties, although they ended the spring with a defeat to Aberdeen in the cup final. But now, in addition to failures in the League Cup, they have also lost the lead in the domestic championship — not only their usual rivals Rangers are ahead of them, but also Hearts. Only the experienced O’Neill, already the third manager in half a year, has been able to provide relatively stable results. There were setbacks on the international stage as well. In Champions League qualification, both matches against Kairat ended goalless, and the Kazakh side proved stronger in the penalty shootout. In the Europa League, the team also failed to impress: three wins and three losses, along with a couple of draws. At home against visitors from Germany, nothing really worked out apart from a consolation goal — they lost 1–4. Celtic’s recent form has lacked consistency, especially against well-organized opponents. Away from home, their problems have become even more evident.
The clubs last faced each other in 2023. Back then, they exchanged home wins. The Germans have, of course, practically settled everything already. But they still have something to make up for in front of their fans after a slip-up in the Bundesliga — we expect them to beat the Scots again with a -1.5 goals handicap.
Prediction for the match: Stuttgart to win with -1.5 handicap.
