The Matchday 1 clash of the Europa League 2025/26 group stage between Crvena Zvezda (Serbia) and Celtic (Scotland) will take place on September 24 at the Rajko Mitic Stadium in Belgrade. Crvena Zvezda vs. Celtic: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Crvena Zvezda
The Belgrade team was one step away from reaching the main stage of the Champions League, but Vladan Milojević's side was halted by Pafos. As a result, Crvena Zvezda dropped to the Europa League, where they last participated in the 2022/23 season, finishing fourth in Group H. The previous year, the Serbians achieved their best result in this tournament by reaching the Round of 16. Last season, the club competed in the Champions League but fell five points short of advancing to the playoffs.
- In 10 of their last 13 Europa League matches, Crvena Zvezda has not scored more than one goal.
- The team has not lost at home in 12 of their last 14 matches in this tournament (9 wins, 3 draws).
- The Serbians have not conceded more than one goal in their last eight home Europa League games.
Predicted lineup for Crvena Zvezda (4-4-2)
Mateus – Sol Yeon Woo, Miloš Veljković, Stefan Leković, Nair Tiknizyan – Timi Elsnik, Vasilije Kostov, Mirko Ivanić, Tomáš Händel – Aleksandar Katai, Marko Arnautović.
Celtic
The Scots also began this European campaign in the Champions League, where Brendan Rodgers' side was eliminated by Kairat. In the Europa League, the club last participated in the 2021/22 season, finishing third in their group. Notably, Celtic has never reached the Round of 16 in this tournament. Last season, the team played in the Champions League. After finishing 21st in the main stage, the Scots were defeated by Bayern in the first playoff round.
- Celtic has a 14-match uncompromising streak in the Europa League (7 wins, 7 losses).
- The team has conceded at least two goals in 6 of their last 7 matches in this tournament.
- In 5 of their last 6 away games in the Europa League, the Scots scored at least twice.
Predicted lineup for Celtic (4-3-3)
Viljami Sinisalo – Kieran Tierney, Liam Scales, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Colby Donovan – Reo Hatate, Callum McGregor, Benjamin Nygren – Yang Hyun-jun, Sebastian Tounekti, Kelechi Iheanacho.
Referee
Radu Petrescu (Romania)
Matches – 14 (International matches, 2024/25–2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 61;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.4;
Red cards shown – 2;
Average fouls per match – 24;
Penalties – 21%.
Crvena Zvezda vs. Celtic: Match Prediction
Celtic is an experienced European competitor, but the team lacks significant achievements on the international stage. In the current Champions League, Brendan Rodgers' side surprised by eliminating Kairat. However, the Scots did not concede against the Kazakh team in both encounters, though such defensive performances are uncharacteristic for the club. In the same Champions League, Celtic recently suffered heavy defeats like 0-6 and 1-7. In the lower-tier tournament, the situation isn't much better: the team has conceded at least two goals in eight consecutive Europa League matches.
The Belgrade team scored in all qualifying rounds of the Champions League 2025/26, but it wasn't enough to progress to the main stage. The Serbians also regularly find the net in the Europa League, scoring in five consecutive matches. At home, Crvena Zvezda has scored in 7 of their last 9 matches in this tournament, hitting the target at least twice in six instances. I believe Celtic, which doesn't boast a reliable defense, will struggle to keep a clean sheet.
My prediction: Crvena Zvezda Individual Total Over 1
