The Matchday 3 encounter of the 2025/26 Europa League group stage between Celtic (Scotland) and Sturm (Austria) will be held on October 23 at Celtic Park in Glasgow. Celtic vs. Sturm: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Celtic
Brendan Rodgers' side suffered a 0-2 home defeat to Braga in the previous round. Consequently, Celtic has lost just twice in their last six Europa League matches (3 wins, 1 draw), and for the first time, they failed to score. Moreover, the team has conceded at least two goals in four of their last five European fixtures. In the standings, the Scots have one point and are in 29th place.
- The club's uncompromising home run in the Europa League stands at 22 matches (13 wins, 9 losses).
- At least one of the opponents failed to score in 5 of the team's last 6 home games in this European competition.
- The Scots have scored at least two goals in 5 of their last 7 home Europa League matches.
Predicted lineup for Celtic (4-3-3)
Kasper Schmeichel – Kieran Tierney, Liam Scales, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Colby Donovan – Paulo Bernardo, Callum McGregor, Benjamin Nygren – Daizen Maeda, Sebastian Tounekti, Kelechi Iheanacho.
Defender Alistair Johnston, midfielder Paulo Bernardo, and forwards Daizen Maeda and Jota Neves are injured.
Sturm
In the previous round, Jürgen Seumel's side triumphed 2-1 at home against Rangers. As a result, Sturm ended a streak of four consecutive defeats without scoring in the Europa League. Additionally, the team managed to score more than one goal for only the second time in their last ten European fixtures. The Austrians have three points and are in 22nd place in the group stage standings.
- The club has not won in 9 of their last 10 away Europa League matches (2 draws, 7 losses).
- The team failed to score in 6 of their last 8 away games in this European competition.
- No more than two goals have been scored in 7 of Sturm's last 10 away Europa League matches.
Predicted lineup for Sturm (3-5-2)
Oliver Christensen – Emanuel Aiwu, Jon Gorenc-Stankovic, Dimitri Lavalée – Tim Erman, Toma Horvat, Otar Kiteishvili, Tochi Chukwuani, Emir Karic – Belmin Beganovic, Moritz Malone.
Goalkeeper Daniil Khudyakov, defender Arjan Malic, and forward Belmin Beganovic are out due to injuries.
Referee
Juan Martínez Munuera (Spain)
Matches – 8 (International matches, 2024/25–2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 39;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.9;
Red cards shown – 1;
Average fouls per match – 24;
Penalties – 38%.
Celtic vs. Sturm: Match Prediction
At home, the Scots play boldly and prefer an open style of football. This approach allows Celtic to score frequently: in their last 14 home Europa League matches, they failed to score only twice. Moreover, in nine of these games, the team managed to score at least two goals.
Sturm struggles in away games on the European stage, primarily due to weak defensive play. In their last 14 away Europa League matches, the Austrians have kept a clean sheet only once – against Poland's Raków. In eight of these games, the club allowed their opponents to score at least two goals.
I anticipate an effective attacking performance from the Scots, allowing them to score at least two goals. My prediction: Celtic Individual Total Over 1.5
