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Stuttgart vs Celtic Predictions & Tips - Stuttgart to Secure Europa League Victory

Ryan Allan

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Last updated: Tue 24 Feb 2026 22:25

Ryan Allan 24 Feb 2026

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Stuttgart secured a 4-1 win in last week's first leg
Home win/over 2.5 goals tipped on Thursday
Get our Stuttgart vs Celtic tips in the Europa League

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Bilal El Khannouss of VfB Stuttgart (Getty Images)

Stuttgart vs Celtic Predictions
Stuttgart Picking Up High-Scoring Wins
Stuttgart Claim Victory in First-Ever Encounter
Stuttgart Stumble at Heidenheim
Celtic Stunned by Hibernian
Predicted Lineups and Team News

Stuttgart vs Celtic Predictions

All indications suggest Stuttgart should ease to another high-scoring success at MHP Arena this week. I'm backing the hosts to win with at least three goals scored, with both teams also expected to get on the scoresheet.

Stuttgart Picking Up High-Scoring Wins

Stuttgart won 6 of their last 8 matches
Stuttgart have seen over 2.5 goals in 7 of their last 8 matches
Celtic lost their last 2 matches
Celtic have seen BTTS & over 2.5 goals in 8 of their last 9 matches

Stuttgart Claim Victory in First-Ever Encounter

Stuttgart and Celtic will meet for the second time this week. The Germans eased to a 4-1 win in last week's first-ever encounter in Glasgow.

Stuttgart Stumble at Heidenheim

Stuttgart return to Europa League action on Thursday after a surprise 3-3 draw at Heidenheim last weekend. Deniz Undav's 17th goal of the season rescued a point for Sebastian Hoeness's side, with the German international coming off the bench to equalise in the 88th minute.

In a controversial contest featuring numerous chances and VAR drama, both sides generated an xG of over 2.0. Strong in the final third, VfB have now scored three or more goals in six of their last eight matches.

Hoeness's men have been in largely excellent form in 2026, with eight wins and only two defeats recorded from 12 games played this year. Stuttgart remain on course to qualify for the Champions League, with Die Roten currently fourth in the Bundesliga.

While enjoying a fine run of results, clean sheets remain relatively rare. VfB conceded at least one goal in nine of 12 fixtures contested this year. Seven of those 12 games finished with BTTS and over 2.5 goals scored.

Celtic Stunned by Hibernian

Celtic arrive in Germany with their hopes of Europa League progression all but over after last week's punishing 4-1 defeat at Parkhead. Despite generating a higher xG 2.09 to 1.88, the Scots' defensive vulnerabilities were punished by the in-form Bundesliga visitors.

Martin O'Neill's side were unable to bounce back domestically, with a 2-1 home defeat against Hibernian on Saturday a serious blow to their Premiership title hopes. The Hoops now trail leaders Hearts by six points, albeit with the benefit of a game in hand.

High-scoring outcomes have been a recurring theme for the Scottish champions this year. An average of 3.45 goals per game were scored in 13 matches played since the start of January.

Usually a reliable choice to get on the scoresheet, O'Neill's Bhoys scored at least one goal in 17 of 18 previous fixtures. The Hoops averaged over two goals per game in those matches.

Predicted Lineups and Team News

Stuttgart (4-2-3-1) Alexander Nubel; Josha Vagnoman, Finn Jeltsch, Ramon Hendriks, Maximilian Mittelstadt; Chema Andres, Atakan Karazor; Bilal El Khannouss, Deniz Undav, Jamie Leweling; Ermedin Demirovic.

Stuttgart are unable to call on a handful of first-team players this week. Angelo Stiller, Dan-Axel Zagadou, Lazar Jovanovic and Justin Diehl miss out due to fitness issues, while Jeff Chabot is suspended.

Deniz Undav is poised to earn a recall after his goal-scoring substitute appearance at Heidenheim.

Head coach Hoeness was furious following a pair of controversial VAR decisions in the draw at Heidenheim.

“It's not enough for me,” Hoeness told DAZN. “To intervene from the sidelines and rule out our goal for that is unacceptable. For me, it's not a clear and obvious wrong decision.”

Celtic (4-3-3) Kasper Schmeichel; Julian Araujo, Auston Trusty, Liam Scales, Marcello Saracchi; Benjamin Nygren, Callum McGregor, Reo Hatate; Sebastian Tounekti, Tomas Cvancara, Daizen Maeda.

Interim boss O'Neill could make some changes to his first XI on Thursday. Daizen Maeda and Marcello Saracchi are among those likely to earn recalls on Thursday.

Arne Engels, Alistair Johnston, Callum Osmand, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Jota remain unavailable for selection.

O'Neill spoke of his disappointment after last week´s first leg defeat:

“It's a tough evening for us. On paper, 4-1 looks pretty poor. We were masters of our own downfall in many respects and conceded some poor goals...This is a collective, there's no doubt about that"

Verdict

VfB Stuttgart v Celtic

Another high-scoring home win seems inevitable on Thursday. I'm backing Stuttgart to win with over 2.5 goals scored, while I also fancy Celtic to bring up the BTTS/over 2.5 goal double.

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Ryan is a Barcelona-based football fanatic with 10+ years of experience as a sports writer and statistical analyst. He covers a number of leagues including from his native Scotland, Italy, Germany and more.

A huge fan of the goal markets, he specialises in BTTS and over 2.5 goal picks from the MLS to the Bundesliga and beyond.

He has also been featured on MightyTips and you can find more from Ryan on Muckrack and LinkedIn.