Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Europa League match.
The surprise leaders of the UEFA Europa League overall stage after three rounds, Midtjylland are ready to challenge the inconsistent Celtic. The visitors won the Scottish League Cup at the weekend, defeating Rangers in the final (3:1 after extra time), so in Denmark Celtic should play with confidence.
Midtjylland
For Midtjylland, by contrast, a strong four-match winning run ended recently. In that spell they scored at least three goals in every match, but against AGF Aarhus (1:1) their finishing let them down (0.92 xG and 17 shots with 65% possession). On the other hand, in the overall stage of the UEFA Europa League the Danes have been very effective: wins over Sturm Graz (2:0), Nottingham Forest (3:2) and Maccabi Haifa (3:0) indicate that they are not afraid to take risks in pursuit of victory.
Celtic
Like Rangers, Celtic made a coaching change in the autumn. The weekend before last, they lost to Heart of Midlothian (1:3), falling six points behind them on points dropped — the management decided to dismiss Brendan Rodgers. With the experienced Martin O'Neill on the touchline, the Glaswegian side controlled the Scottish League Cup final against Rangers (20-11 in shots), and Callum McGregor scored the winning goal. In the UEFA Europa League, the Bhoys earned their first win only in the third round against Sturm Graz (2:1).
Midtjylland vs Celtic Prediction
The only previous meeting between the sides came in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers in summer 2021 — Midtjylland then eliminated Celtic (3:2 on aggregate). At MCH Arena, Herning, both teams are likely to attack, which supports an over 2.5 goals bet.
