Celtic vs. Besiktas – News and Probable Lineups

Celtic will continue their quest for their initial point in the Europa League group phase as they host Besiktas at Celtic Park on Thursday.

Currently, the home side finds themselves in 35th place following three straight losses, while Besiktas sits in eighth and remains unbeaten after three matches.

Match overview

Throughout the 2026-27 season, Celtic has gone through phases of inconsistency, disappointing displays, and lackluster outcomes, particularly in their European matches.

The Bhoys had a disastrous exit from the Champions League, throwing away a 4-0 advantage against LASK Linz, resulting in a 5-4 aggregate loss, which marked one of the darkest moments in the club’s recent history.

Following this setback, Martin O’Neill’s squad found themselves relegated to the Europa League, where their struggles continued. They are currently languishing at the bottom of the table, 35th out of 36 teams, without any points after three consecutive defeats.

Adding to their troubling form in the Europa League, which has seen them concede nine goals while only scoring three in three fixtures, Celtic will enter Thursday’s encounter reeling from a further disappointing defeat at the weekend.

On Sunday, Celtic fell 2-0 to Falkirk, marking their sixth loss in the last ten matches across all competitions, collecting just three wins during that stretch.

With pressure mounting on O’Neill, the head coach will be eager for his squad to recover from Sunday’s setback and earn their first points of the 2026-27 Europa League campaign.

In contrast, Celtic will face a Besiktas team that remains undefeated during the group stage up to this point, having secured two victories and one draw across their three matches.

Vincenzo Italiano’s squad recorded a significant 4-1 victory over Marseille on matchday one, followed by a 3-2 win against Hoffenheim and a 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace, placing them eighth in the standings with seven points.

However, even with their unbeaten status in this competition, Besiktas has faced a fluctuating recent performance in the Turkish Super Lig, achieving two wins, two defeats, and one draw in their last five encounters.

All instances where Besiktas dropped points occurred while playing away, and they have only managed to win four of their nine away matches in all competitions this season.

Despite these difficulties, Besiktas will likely be confident in exploiting Celtic’s defensive frailties in the Europa League, particularly as the Bhoys have conceded nine goals in three games compared to the visitors’ nine goals scored in their three group stage fixtures.

Team News

Celtic is dealing with injuries to Alistair Johnston and Yang Hyun-Jun, while the rest of the squad should be fit for selection.

In the wake of the 2-0 loss to Falkirk, O’Neill may opt for several changes to the starting XI for this match, potentially introducing players like Kasper Hogh, Sebastian Tounekti, and Benjamin Nygren.

On the other hand, the visitors will be missing Orkun Kokcu and Fabio Miretti due to injuries, along with Umit Akdag who is suspended following a red card in the game against Crystal Palace.

Dusan Vlahovic is Besiktas’ leading scorer in the Turkish Super Lig with seven goals and is poised to spearhead the attack as he seeks his first goal in the Europa League.

Celtic probable starting XI:

Johnstone; Donovan, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Tierney; Baur, McGregor; Duran, Nygren, Tounekti; Hogh

Besiktas probable starting XI:

Nubel; Murillo, Agbadou, Topcu, Yilmaz; Cerny, Olaitan, Ozcan, Ndidi, Trossard; Vlahovic

Although Besiktas may not boast an impressive away record this season, given Celtic’s ongoing challenges, particularly defensively in this tournament, coupled with the visitors’ scoring threats, the away side could emerge victorious in this fixture.