EUROPA LEAGUE BETTING PREVIEW - VFB STUTTGART VS CELTIC

Europa League

2026-02-26 - VfB Stuttgart vs Celtic

A Sports Betting Preview by Niko

VfB Stuttgart v Celtic
Football; UEFA Europa League Playoffs – 2nd leg
MHP Arena – Stuttgart, Germany
Thursday, 26th February 2026 - kickoff 18:45 CET

VfB Stuttgart

VfB Stuttgart have put one foot in the Europa League last 16 after a commanding 4-1 victory at Celtic Park in the first leg. A dominant performance saw them score four times through Bilal El-Khannouss (two), Jamie Leweling, and Tiago Tomás, leaving Celtic needing to overturn a three-goal deficit.

VfB Stuttgart controlled large portions of that tie and rarely looked troubled defensively, showing the kind of cohesion expected from a side fourth in the Bundesliga this season.

VfB Stuttgart is unbeaten in three competitive games leading to this matchup, most recently drawing 3-3 against Heidenheim last Sunday. Now a mixed lineup is expected, but they should be still solid.

Sebastian Hoeness' side has balance across the pitch and can exploit space with pace, which they did effectively in Glasgow. Their home Europa League record this season has been strong too — they are unbeaten at the MHP Arena in this competition.

Celtic

Celtic’s last game against VfB Stuttgart was a night to forget. Defensive errors, particularly from goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, saw them fall behind early en route to a 1-4 home defeat.

That result not only put them on the back foot in this tie, but it also highlighted deeper problems. They have been inconsistent in Europe and have never won a competitive game in Germany, a worrying statistic in this context.

Also, they lost again, 1-2, at home to Hibernian in the domestic championship last weekend, so their form has not been good over the past week.

Off the pitch, Celtic have also been dealing with fan unrest and managerial pressure, which doesn’t help when trying to engineer a comeback in a hostile atmosphere.

The Betting Verdict

This tie is over. VfB Stuttgart’s first-leg dominance means they can approach the second leg with enough control to manage the aggregate comfortably. Celtic have issues both on and off the pitch and have rarely threatened in Germany in the past.

However, VfB Stuttgart will field a changed lineup from the first duel; some players will rest for the Bundesliga match against Wolfsburg over the weekend. Still, they should win or at least draw here.

Celtic will push, I believe they will score, and the bet I am recommending here is backing both sides to score at fair odds.

The Pick :

VfB Stuttgart 2-1 Celtic

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

Take both teams to score: YES at odds of 1.64 with 12Play Sports