Prediction: FC Midtjylland vs Celtic

Verdict: Both teams to score

Best Odds: 17/20

Bookmaker: Unibet

With it all still to play for on Wednesday night, Celtic will be desperate to extend on their Champions League adventure when they travel to FC Midtjylland for their second-leg showdown.

FC Midtjylland

Starting with the hosts, while Midtjylland might have been heavily outplayed at Celtic Park last week, the Danish outfit do find themselves holding the most marginal of leads on Wednesday night. Managing to mount a second-half comeback on foreign soil as they snatched a 1-1 draw and a crucial away goal, The Wolves will be seeking a far more polished display if they’re to extend on their European adventure in midweek. However, while Head Coach Bo Henriksen might have seen his side end last year’s tournament with back-to-back 1-1 draws against Atalanta and former Premier League champions Liverpool, Midtjylland have shown some issues of late. Opening the 2021 Danish Superliga campaign with a shock 2-1 defeat at the hands of OB on home soil, Wednesday’s hosts really had to battle it out over the weekend as they landed a hard-fought 1-0 victory against AaB on the road.

Team News

Shown a pair of yellow cards at Celtic Park in the first-leg last week, Midtjylland will be without midfielder Anders Dreyer on Wednesday night.

Starlet Aral Simsir has been absent due to self-isolating with COVID-19 and should once again miss out in the second-leg.

Celtic

As for the visitors, while Celtic might have made the shock call to turn to new boss Ange Postecoglou last month, the former Scottish champions have shown some issues during their pre-season workout. Knowing that Midtjylland hold the advantage on Wednesday night after throwing away the lead on home soil last week, The Hoops couldn’t have asked for worse preparations after being blown away on home soil over the weekend. Putting in what was a performance that saw them come under real scrutiny from the returning Celtic fans on Saturday afternoon, the one-time Melbourne Victory Head Coach saw his side get hit with a 6-2 drumming at the hands of Premier League side West Ham. In fact, including a 1-0 loss against Championship outfit Preston in a friendly contest earlier in the month, Wednesday’s guests have failed to win any of their last four consecutive appearances.

Team News

Also shown a pair of yellow cards in the first-leg, key defender Nir Bitton will be missing out in Denmark this week.

Making a string of mistakes in their 6-2 defeat against West Ham last weekend, Vasilis Barkas could be replaced between the sticks by Scott Bain.

Key Factors to Consider

• When the two sides faced off in the first-leg last week, Wednesday’s opponents played out a 1-1 draw.
• Including a 6-2 friendly defeat against West Ham over the weekend, Celtic have failed to win any of their last four matchups.
• Midtjylland have seen three of their last four Champions League home fixtures finish with both teams finding the net.
• Likewise, three of Celtic’s last four Champions League matchups on the road have finished in an identical outcome.
• Each of The Hoops’ last 11 Champions League contests have seen over 1.5 goals by the final whistle.

Conclusion

With it all still hanging in the balance on Wednesday night, we could have another nervy night in Denmark this week. With Midtjylland holding a marginal advantage on home soil, both sides have shown their own issues over the past month. Desperate to extend on their Champions League qualifying run on foreign soil, The Hoops couldn’t have asked for worse preparations last weekend. Hit with what was a woeful 6-2 drumming at the hands of Premier League outfit West Ham, the Scottish heavyweights have struggled to find their feet under new boss Ange Postecoglou. Playing out a 1-1 draw when they faced off in the first-leg last week, we are once again backing both teams to find the net here.

Verdict: Both teams to score

Best Odds: 17/20

Bookmaker: Unibet