Stuttgart vs Celtic – News and Probable Lineups

On Thursday evening, Stuttgart will host Celtic at the MHPArena for the return leg of their Europa League knockout playoff tie.

In the first leg in Scotland, Die Roten secured an impressive 4-1 win, putting the Bhoys under significant pressure to salvage their European campaign.

Match overview

Stuttgart encountered difficulties in their initial Europa League games, suffering defeats in two of their first three league phase matches, alongside a hard-fought 2-1 win over Celta Vigo in the opening round.

Nonetheless, they bounced back with four victories and a single defeat in their subsequent five league phase matches, allowing Sebastian Hoeness’ team to ascend to 11th place, just one point shy of a top eight finish.

After being drawn against Celtic in the knockout playoff round, Stuttgart showed strong form leading up to the fixture, winning five and losing just once in their last six matches across all competitions.

Taking on Celtic Park may have been a daunting challenge for Die Roten, yet Hoeness’ squad produced a remarkable 4-1 win, with contributions from Tiago Tomas, Jamie Leweling, and Bilal El Khannouss (two goals).

Consequently, Stuttgart finds themselves in a strong position for the second leg, especially as they return home, where they have remained unbeaten since early December 2025.

At the MHPArena, Die Roten have registered five wins and two draws in their last seven matches, showing a significant turnaround after a heavy 5-0 defeat to Bayern Munich in December.

While Stuttgart is in control of the matchup and on a positive trajectory, Celtic enters the second leg following two disappointing losses in succession.

The overall season for Celtic has been marked by inconsistency, although things seemed to improve following Martin O’Neill’s return to management for the second time this season.

During his first stint from October to December 2025, O’Neill had achieved seven wins and one loss across eight matches, leading to his rehiring in January after Wilfried Nancy’s unsuccessful tenure.

Upon his return, O’Neill successfully guided the team to eight wins and two draws in his first ten matches, steering Celtic through to the knockout phases of the Europa League and into the race for the Scottish Premiership title.

O’Neill’s initial defeat was at the hands of Stuttgart, where despite creating 2.09 expected goals to their opponent’s 1.88xG, Celtic suffered a heavy 4-1 loss.

In their latest Scottish Premiership match against Hibernian, the Bhoys were unable to rally, conceding a goal in the 87th minute to lose 2-1, leaving them six points adrift of league leaders Hearts.

Eager to turn around their recent losing streak and striving to pull back into contention for this tie, Celtic now faces the daunting task of overcoming a three-goal deficit in Germany.

Although Celtic will derive confidence from their five-match unbeaten run away from home, they have managed just one away victory in European competition this season.

Team News

Stuttgart is anticipated to be missing Angelo Stiller, Dan-Axel Zagadou, Lazar Jovanovic, and Justin Diehl due to fitness challenges, and Jeff Chabot is also suspended.

In Chabot’s absence, Luca Jaquez may step up to join Finn Jeltsch in defense, with Atakan Karazor and Chema Andres likely playing key midfield roles.

Further up the pitch, Chris Fuhrich, El Khannouss, and Ermedin Demirovic are expected to remain in the attacking lineup, and Deniz Undav is also likely to feature.

Celtic, on the other hand, will miss Alistair Johnston, Arne Engels, Callum Osmand, Cameron Carter-Vickers, and Jota due to injuries.

Benjamin Nygren has been in fine form, scoring in his last three outings for Celtic, and is expected to start alongside Daizen Maeda, Sebastian Tounekti, and Tomas Cvancara in the forward line.

Stuttgart probable starting XI:

Nubel; Assignon, Jacquez, Jeltsch, Mittelstadt; Karazor, Andres; El Khannouss, Undav, Fuhrich; Demirovic

Celtic probable starting XI:

Schmeichel; Araujo, Trusty, Scales, Tierney; McGregor, Bernardo; Maeda, Nygren, Tounekti; Cvancara

Stuttgart has performed admirably at home, particularly in European matches, having won all four of their contests at the MHPArena.

Considering Celtic’s current challenges leading into this fixture, we believe the home side will come out on top and secure their advancement to the next round.