Europa League: Celtic vs. Bayer Leverkusen Preview, Odds, News, Prediction

Celtic hosts Bayer Leverkusen tonight in their Europa League clash, hoping to post the first victory in this campaign. After losing in Sevilla, the Hoops now simply have to take all three points, otherwise, progressing to the other stage will be just a dream for Ange Postecoglou’s crew. Bayer Leverkusen opened the Europa League very well, with a victory over Ferencvaros on the road, and comes to Glasgow in a much better mood. One point here would be enough for the Germans, but knowing their mentality, that won’t be the goal at Celtic Park.

Preview

Celtic (+280) is an underdog despite playing at home. Numerous injuries are the reason for that, but we need to add that the guests, too, have problems with absent players.

The Hoops have only one victory in the previous four games, losing twice and posting a draw in the most recent event, against Dundee United at home, 1-1. In between these games, Celtic managed to take down Raith, 3-0, but overall, the team isn’t playing as expected, and it is no wonder why Glasgow Rangers already have a six-point edge over their nemesis. The preview of their game against Sparta Prague is available on this link.

What is a positive thing for the Scottish powerhouse is that in nine events at Celtic Park, they posted seven triumphs and two draws, netting twice or more on seven occasions.

Bayer Leverkusen (-105) played eight competitive matches this year, losing just one and winning six on the other side. Right now, they have three straight triumphs, one in the Europa League against Ferencvaros, 2-1, and two in Bundesliga.

Leverkusen was better than Stuttgart on the road, 1-3, and vs. Mainz at home, 1-0, and the latter match was only the second this year that didn’t end with three or more goals.

This unit prefers to play open and offensive football at a high pace, and it is no wonder why we see so many goals. Also, it needs to be said that six of nine games played saw both teams netting.

Latest News

Kyogo Furuhashi, Karamoko Dembele and Christopher Jullien, Callum McGregor, Georgios Giakoumakis, Greg Taylor, and James Forrest are all out due to various injuries.

The situation is the same with the guests. Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Julian Baumgartlinger, Edmond Tapsoba, Exequiel Palacios, and Niklas Lomb won’t appear at Celtic Park tonight.

Head to Head Games

This will be the first direct encounter between these two sides. Despite being regular participants in the continental competitions, they never met before.

Prediction

This should be a match with high efficiency. The reason for that is the offensive approach from both sides. Celtic is always attacking when playing at home, while on the other side, Leverkusen’s playstyle is the same regardless of the venue. In our opinion, over 2.5 goals should be the safest option for betting here, with the odds for that currently at -125. If you want to increase it, both teams to score is priced at -105, which is also a good bargain. Avoid betting on the full-time result, because this match could go either way. The difference between Celtic and Bayer in this particular situation is way too small.

Pick: Over 2.5 goals at -125

For all those who missed:

Sparta Prague vs. Glasgow Rangers