Winless Celtic and Celta Vigo clash for pride at Celtic Park in the Europa League

Two winless teams with an urgent need to change course meet at Celtic Park. Celtic host Celta Vigo in the Europa League with both clubs carrying an identical record in the competition: two losses in two matches. Rarely does a matchup between two zero-point teams generate this much pressure.

Celtic arrive at this matchday with two losses so far in the competition, having scored 2 goals and conceded 7, a gap that weighs heavily. Over their last five matches across all competitions, they have posted two wins and three losses, with a slightly more encouraging finish: the sequence shows a win in the most recent match of that stretch. Even so, in this season's Europa League, Martin O'Neill's side have failed to keep a clean sheet in either of their two outings, and their most productive scoring window in that same sample falls between the 31st and 45th minutes. Camilo Duran and Mika Baur remain, so far, the club's only scorers in the competition.

Celta Vigo are no better off: they too have racked up two losses in two matches in the league phase, scoring 1 goal and conceding 3. Over their last five matches the balance is more even, with two wins, a draw and two losses, closing out that run with a victory. In this season's Europa League they also haven't kept a clean sheet, and they tend to be at their best between the 16th and 30th minutes, a window in which Hugo Alvarez, their only scorer in the competition so far, has made his mark.

In the standings, both sides sit near the bottom: Celtic are 34th and Celta Vigo 29th, separated by just 0 points. With only two matches played apiece, the table still says little about either side's true level, but it does confirm that both need to start picking up points soon to avoid falling further behind.

Possible lineups

For Celtic, the projected lineup would largely stick with the usual setup: Viljami Sinisalo in goal, a back line of Colby Donovan, Kieran Tierney, Liam Scales and Dane Murray, Callum McGregor and Mika Baur in midfield alongside Benjamin Nygren and Sebastian Tounekti, with Camilo Duran and Kasper Hogh up top. This is a lineup inferred from recent matches, with medium reliability.

On Celta Vigo's side, with a lower reliability in the projection, the expected XI includes Ionut Radu in goal, a defense of Yoel Lago, Marcos Alonso, Sebastian Caceres and Javi Rodriguez, a midfield of Ilaix Moriba, Hugo Alvarez, Sergio Carreira and Javi Rueda, and a front two of Ferran Jutgla and Williot Swedberg.

What the numbers say

Our model has Celtic as favorites, though without an overwhelming edge:

The breakdown favors the Scots, who will play at home, but it leaves a reasonable opening for a draw or an away upset. As for expected goals, the projection sits at 1.96 for Celtic and 1.11 for Celta Vigo, a combined total of 3.07 that suggests a game with scoring chances for both sides. This is an in-house estimate based on the season's trends, not a betting line or a definitive forecast.

With both squads desperate to collect their first points of the tournament, Celtic Park shapes up as a stage where any mistake could cost double. Neither team can afford another slip-up.