The Matchday 1 clash of the 2025/26 UEFA Europa League 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
Belgrade's side was just one step away from reaching the main stage of the Champions League, but Vladan Milojević's team was stopped by Paphos. As a result, Crvena Zvezda dropped to the Europa League, where they last appeared in the 2022/23 season, finishing fourth in Group H. A year earlier, the Serbs 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 did not score more than one goal.
- At home in this tournament, the team has not lost in 12 of their last 14 matches (9 wins, 3 draws).
- The Serbs have not conceded more than one goal in their last 8 home games in the Europa League.
Predicted lineup for Crvena Zvezda (4-4-2)
Mateus – Sol Yeon Woo, Milos Veljkovic, Stefan Lekovic, Nair Tiknizyan – Timi Elsnik, Vasilije Kostov, Mirko Ivanic, Tomasz Handel – Aleksandar Katai, Marko Arnautovic.
Midfielder Rade Krunic is injured.
Celtic
The Scots also began this European campaign in the Champions League, where Brendan Rodgers' side was eliminated by Kairat. Celtic last participated in the Europa League in the 2021/22 season, finishing third in their group. Notably, Celtic has never reached the Round of 16 in this tournament. Last season, they played in the Champions League, where they finished 21st in the group stage and were knocked out 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 have 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.
Midfielder Jota Neves and defenders Auston Trusty, Alistair Johnston are injured.
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 lacks significant achievements on the international stage. In the current Champions League campaign, Brendan Rodgers' side caused an upset against Kairat. However, the Scots did not concede against the Kazakhs in both matches, which is unusual for the club. In the Champions League, Celtic has suffered heavy defeats, such as 0-6 and 1-7. In the lower-tier Europa League, their performance hasn't been much better: they have conceded at least two goals in 8 consecutive matches.
Belgrade's team scored in all qualifying rounds of the 2025/26 Champions League, but it wasn't enough to reach the main stage. The Serbs also score regularly in the Europa League, finding the net in 5 consecutive matches. At home in this tournament, Crvena Zvezda has scored in 7 of their last 9 matches, and in 6 of those, they scored at least two goals. I believe that Celtic, with their unreliable defense, will not keep a clean sheet.
My prediction: Crvena Zvezda Individual Total Over 1
* The starting lineup for each team reflects their previous match.
