In the final round of the general stage of the Europa League, Celtic will host Utrecht. The hosts continue to fight for access to the playoffs. To successfully solve this problem, it is advisable to take three points in the upcoming match.
The Dutch team does not claim anything in the tournament. There is not even a mathematical chance of further participation in the tournament, but there is an opportunity to “slam the door loudly”, taking the Scottish club with you.
▪️ One step to continue the fight
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Celtic are in multitasking mode. Things are not as rosy as usual in the Scottish Championship. At the moment, the gap from the first place in the table, which Hearts suddenly occupies, is six points. In the previous round there was a meeting with the leader, which ended with a score of 2:2. Moreover, the Celts took the lead twice, but both times allowed the enemy to win back.
In the Europa League, the Scots are in 24th place at the general stage before the last match, which gives them the right to qualify for the playoffs. But the density is very high, and a defeat could push the “greens” down several positions at once.
▪️ Lack of motivation
Utrecht is doing poorly. And what is the reason for such a drop is unclear! The core of the team has been preserved; key players have not been sold. Most likely, the “red-whites” do not have enough resources to compete in three tournaments at once. One way or another, Ron Jans’ team has not been able to win in the Eredivisie for seven rounds.
As for the Europa League, things didn’t go well for the Dutch club from the very beginning. Before the last round of the general stage, only one point was scored. Of course, such a more than modest figure leaves no chance for the squad from the Netherlands to continue the fight. The final match is a formality.
🔖 Tentative line-ups for the Celtic – Utrecht match
Celtic (4-3-3): Schmeikel – Donovan, Trusty, Skelni, Tirney – Engels, McGregor, Nyugren – Yan, Maeda, Tunnelti
Will not play: Carter-Vickers, Johnston, Jota, Montgomery, Osmand, Saracci (all injured), Hatate (suspension), Kenny (doubtful)
Head coach: Martin O’Neill
Utrecht (4-2-3-1): Barkas – Horemans, van der Hoorn, Viergevere, El Karouani – Engwanda, Bozdogan – Rodrigues, de Wit, Katlin – Haller
Will not play: Man, Jensen (oba – trauma), Ikbal, Yerdhuizen, Eppink (distance of the worm)
Head coach: Ron Jans
✏️ Judge: Mohammad Al-Emara (Finland)
Al-Emara is an arbitrator of medium severity. This season, over 5 European Cup matches, he showed a total of 20 yellow cards, but only once gave more than 4 warnings in one meeting.
- This season he has officiated in 6 matches in all tournaments.
- Average number of yellow cards – 4, fouls – 24
- In 3 meetings awarded penalties (50%)
- Didn’t show a single red card
☑️ Forecast for the match Celtic – Utrecht: Celtic win with a handicap (-1.5) for 1.98
- Main forecast: To continue fighting in the tournament, it is advisable for the hosts to win the last round of the general stage. The Scottish club are lucky to have an unmotivated opponent standing in their way. “Utrecht” does not claim anything in the European Cup, so it can focus on the Eredivisie, where things are not going well (three defeats in a row). “Celtic have not played at home for a long time, so this meeting is an excellent opportunity to please their fans. Considering the lack of motivation of the Dutch team, the form of the teams and the field factor, the choice becomes obvious. Let’s take it the victory of “Celtic” with four (-1.5) for 1.98.
- Total forecast: “Celtic” scored nine goals in seven rounds of the LE. In three of the past five matches in the European arena, the Scots scored two or more times. But the hosts are on top of their game defensively, as evidenced by the 13 goals they conceded in the same seven rounds. Martin O’Neill’s gang, given their extreme motivation, will force the vulnerable Utrecht to make mistakes (the visitors conceded 11 goals in the League), but they themselves do not look capable of keeping a clean sheet. Best solution: total over 2.5 for 1.64.
- Correct score forecast: Both sides lack reliability, which encourages the idea of exchanging goals. However, Celtic scored three times more in the League than their opponents – nine goals against three. Martin O’Neill’s team can and should snatch victory thanks to a more attractive attack. We bet on The exact score is 3:1 at 8.00.