Celtic welcomes FC Utrecht to Celtic Park for their final Europa League group phase encounter on Thursday.
Celtic cannot qualify directly to the last 16 even if they win this match but they will look to secure all three points alongwith a spot in the playoffs.
Celtic vs FC Utrecht – Match preview and team news
- Date: Thursday, 29th January.
- Kick-off: 8pm BST.
- Venue: Celtic Park, Glasgow.
Celtic team news
Celtic face a mounting injury crisis ahead of Thursday’s crucial encounter. The Bhoys are unable to field Alistair Johnston, Callum Osmand, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Jota, and Kelechi Iheanacho due to injury issues, while suspended midfielder Reo Hatate remains unavailable following his red card against Bologna. Marcelo Saracchi has returned to training this Wednesday which is a positive sign for the team.
Kieran Tierney was a doubt following his early substitution in the draw with Hearts at Tynecastle last weekend, though encouraging news emerged on Wednesday when the left-back was pictured training at Lennoxtown, suggesting he may be available for selection.
New signing Tomas Cvancara, recently acquired from Borussia Monchengladbach, is ineligible for European competition and therefore unavailable for this fixture.
FC Utrecht team news
Ron Jans’ side will be without key attacker Victor Jensen, who remains sidelined until early March with a knee injury. David Min and Emirhan Demircan are doubts, while Mike Eerdhuijzen limped off during the weekend’s 1-0 defeat to Sparta Rotterdam, potentially clearing the way for Nick Viergever to partner Matisse Didden in central defence.
Despite the mounting pressure on his position following a fifth consecutive defeat, manager Ron Jans has refused to step down from his role. The 67-year-old, who will retire at the end of the season, stated after the Sparta loss: “I’m having a great time here, though I’m currently going through a very difficult phase.”
Form
Celtic
Martin O’Neill’s return has brought stability and improvement to the Scottish club. Celtic have won three of their last five matches across all competitions and drew the other two. The Bhoys drew 2-2 with Hearts at Tynecastle on the weekend.
The Scottish champions sit precariously in 24th position in the Europa League with eight points from seven league phase matches, meaning victory is essential if Martin O’Neill’s side are to progress beyond this round.
FC Utrecht
The Dutch side have managed only one point from their opening seven fixtures—a single draw—and remain winless across six losses, leaving them third from bottom and mathematically eliminated from knockout contention. Their misery has extended beyond European football, with the club suffering five consecutive defeats across all competitions.
Predicted lineups
Celtic: Schmeichel; Donovan, Trusty, Murray, Scales; Engels, McGregor, Nygren; Hyun-Jun, Maeda, Tounekti
FC Utrecht: Barkas; Horemans, Didden, Viergever, El Karouani; Engwanda, Bozdogan; Cathline, De Wit, Blake; Rodriguez
How to watch Celtic vs FC Utrecht?
UK fans can watch the match live on TNT Sports 4.
Read Also – Chelsea ‘show interest’ in Bayern Munich defender
See More – Scholes questions quality of Arsenal attack amid recent form
