Prediction: Lazio vs Celtic

Prediction: Lazio win

Best Odds: 4/7

Bookmaker: bet365

The Europa League returns this week as we prepare for the second half of the group stage to kick off. There are plenty of teams still in the hunt to qualify and progress into the knockouts, and some have probably already started their preparations for the Round of 32. Two sides that have the potential to go far in this competition will be meeting tomorrow night, and the two teams in question are Lazio and Celtic as these giants of European football prepare to clash for the second time in a matter of weeks.

Lazio

Towards the top of the Serie A table, Lazio continue to serve as a consistent presence that is often capable of surprising a few people. However, in Europe, they haven’t been able to replicate that success for a good old while. The best way to describe the current state of their squad is sturdy, but in addition to that, they also have quite a few starlets that have the potential to go on and do some even bigger things in their careers. Whether or not those things happen at Lazio is a different matter altogether.

Team News

Immobile is a big doubt for Lazio heading into this one, with Caicedo also being assessed being kick off and Cataldi being suspended.

Celtic

The stereotype for Celtic has always been that they’re great at winning a weak Scottish Premiership title every year, but can’t quite translate that into success in Europe. While there have been flaws in that argument in the past, this year it really does seem as if they’re stepping up their push for a strong campaign in the Europa League. They’ve got a squad with more talent than they’ve had in quite some time, and they’ll be determined to turn that into a strong run deep into the competition.

Team News

Jullien and Edouard are on the verge of a suspension whereas Bain, Johnston and Simunovic are all expected to miss out for the visitors.

Factors to Consider

• In their last meeting earlier this season, Celtic beat Lazio 2-1.
• Lazio have won three, drawn two and lost one of their last six games.
• Celtic have won five and lost one of their last six games.
• Lazio have scored 14 goals and conceded nine in their last six games.
• Celtic have scored 19 goals and conceded five in their last six games.

Conclusion

Lazio were caught out against Celtic and they fell to the better team on the night, but we tend to believe that the crowd had a lot to do with that up in Glasgow. From a technical standpoint it just feels like the Italians are the more complete team, and we’re backing them to showcase that for the world to see in this one. Celtic will have their moments but we can’t imagine they’ll be able to replicate the sort of success they had in the first meeting between these two sides.

Prediction: Lazio win

Best Odds: 4/7

Bookmaker: bet365