Celtic host Besiktas in Europa League with zero points from three
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The gist
Celtic, bottom of the 36-team Europa League table on zero points, host unbeaten Besiktas at Celtic Park.
A fourth straight loss would leave the Scottish champions' knockout hopes badly damaged.
Background
Celtic are the Scottish champions, managed by Martin O'Neill, and dropped into the Europa League after losing 5-4 on aggregate to Austrian side LASK in the Champions League play-off round. Besiktas, the Turkish side coached by Vincenzo Italiano, sit eighth in the Europa League table on seven points and are unbeaten in the competition. The two clubs have never met in a competitive fixture. Celtic have lost all three league phase matches and sit 35th in the 36-team table, one of four teams yet to get off the mark alongside Viktoria Plzen, Marseille and Ararat-Armenia.
How it unfolded
- Aug 2026Celtic dropped into the Europa League after losing 5-4 on aggregate to Austrian side LASK in the Champions League play-off round.
- Oct 22, 2026Besiktas held Crystal Palace to a 2-2 draw with ten men in their last European outing.
- Nov 1, 2026Celtic lost 2-0 away to Falkirk in the Scottish Premiership.
- Nov 5, 2026Celtic host Besiktas at Celtic Park, Glasgow, in the Europa League league phase, kick-off 20:00 UK time.
Key terms
- Europa League
- An annual European club football competition organized by UEFA, the second tier below the Champions League.
- aggregate
- A playoff format where the winner is decided by total points or goals scored across two legs.
- league phase
- The opening stage of a UEFA club competition in which all teams play a single league table to decide who advances.
Source: Wikipedia
Who’s saying what
- Analysts
- OneFootball's betting preview predicts a Besiktas win on a -0.25 Asian Handicap, citing Besiktas's superior run and Celtic's defensive issues in Europe.
- Analysts
- Squawka's Anthony Eadson backs Besiktas to win and over 2.5 goals at 2/1 with William Hill, predicting Celtic 1-2 Besiktas.
- Analysts
- talkSPORT's betting tips rate Besiktas as favourites, also predicting Celtic 1-2 Besiktas.
- Analysts
- The Racing Post's best bet is Besiktas at 2pts 23-20, with Paddy Power pricing Besiktas 11-10, Celtic 2-1 and the draw 14-5.
Still unverified
The Scotsman notes no side has qualified after losing their first three games, though Celtic can still reach the knockout phase with 15 points left to play for.