AIK vs Celtic Predictions

After the disappointment of failing in Champions League qualifying, Celtic had to dust themselves off and take a step towards the Europa League last week, and take a step towards the continents’ secondary competition they did. By winning 2-0 at home, Celtic have put themselves in a strong position ahead of this second leg.

There was plenty to like about the way in which Celtic got down to business last week. The Scots dominated the game from start to finish, bettered their opponents offensively, as they came out with a clear shot supremacy, as well as a healthy expected goal difference of +1.17.

Going forward, Celtic looked useful in the first leg, though the most impressive aspect of their win was how well they did when in the defensive third, or rather how easily they restricted their opponents. AIK were limited to just four shots, only one of which hit the target. Keeping the Swedes as quiet on the road won’t be easy, though Neil Lennon’s men must fancy themselves to keep things reasonably tight after last week’s showing.

Despite being poor a week ago, AIK will surely fancy themselves to get more competitive now that they’re in front of a home crowd. After all, they did score six goals in two home UCL qualifiers, while they also got on the score-sheet against Sheriff during the previous round of UEL qualifying.

However, for all their attacking efforts have been useful at home against continental opponents in recent times, as an average of 2.33 goals for suggests, AIK haven’t been great at the back. They failed to keep out Sheriff when drawing 1-1 at this venue during the previous round, while they also conceded against both Ararat and Maribor at home in UCL qualifying.

From a betting point of view, ‘Both Teams to Score’ stands out at the current prices. AIK have offered a significant threat in the three European matches that have taken place at Friends Arena this term, but they’ve struggled to keep teams at bay, conceding in each of those three. As they push forward on Thursday, they ought to create more than they did a week ago, but they’re likely to leave themselves open to attack. Before being dumped out of UCL qualifying, Celtic scored in three out of three on the road, though they only kept one clean sheet. Add in the fact that AIK are averaging 7.33 shots on target for and 5.33 against at home (in Europe) and the price on offer starts to look a tad generous.