Celtic vs Valencia Predictions

After beating the likes of Leipzig in the group stages, Celtic ought to approach this match feeling confident. They’re in good form domestically, while they also strengthened in the recent transfer window, so there’s plenty for Brendan Rodgers’ men to be feeling upbeat about ahead of a match against a very useful outfit.

Celtic have long been top dogs domestically, but they’ve struggled to compete in Europe in recent years. However, this time around, they may just be able to stamp their mark. During the groups, the Bhoys delivered some encouraging performances, especially when beating Leipzig, so perhaps they can make headway against a side of Valencia’s calibre.

Having said that, Brendan Rodgers’ men were far from infallible in Group B and while some of their efforts were pleasing, some of their other efforts were a tad worrying. If we look at their three home games during the groups, then it’s easy to see that Celtic have what it takes to cause teams problems. They scored against Rosenborg, Leipzig and Salzburg, while they averaged a very pleasing 1.93 expected goals for. However, their defensive efforts against Leipzig and Salzburg don’t exactly suggest that they can keep a side like Valencia quiet. In their final group match at home, which they lost, Celtic conceded twice against Salzburg and surrendered a rather hefty 2.51 expected goals. On that occasion, the Hoops looked relatively easy to get at.

Valencia didn’t exactly thrive in the Champions League this time around, but some of their efforts suggest that they ought to go to Celtic Park and cause the hosts plenty of problems.

In their first UCL away match this season, Valencia went to Old Trafford and avoided defeat. Furthermore, they only lost by a single goal away against Juventus. If the Spanish outfit can test sides of that calibre, then they should have little problem doing well against the current Scottish champions. That said, they didn’t exactly cover themselves in defensive glory, as they conceded away against Young Boys and surrendered 1.7 expected goals in doing so. On this basis, there’s hope for Celtic too.

At the prices, the bet that stands out is ‘Over 2.5 Goals & Both Teams to Score’. If Celtic home efforts during the group stages are anything to go by, then this is unlikely to be a low-key game. Just as they did against Salzburg and Leipzig, Celtic will get forward and attack. They have the quality to make offensive headway, though as they showed during the groups, they tend to come up short defensively against decent European sides, so supporting a high-scoring game where both teams register on the score-sheet makes plenty of sense.