In a pivotal Europa League clash, Celta Vigo will face Lille at Estadio de Balaidos on Thursday night. Both teams are in contrasting form, which adds to the intrigue of this fixture.
Celta Vigo’s Recent Form
Celta Vigo has enjoyed a successful start to 2026. They have won all three of their La Liga matches, defeating teams like Valencia, Sevilla, and Rayo Vallecano. In these matches, the team scored 11 goals and only conceded one.
In their last league outing, Celta Vigo secured a 3-0 victory over Rayo Vallecano, which has extended their unbeaten run to six games. Currently, they sit seventh in La Liga, tied on points with Real Betis, who are in sixth place, and trailing Espanyol by just two points.
Europa League Standings
In the Europa League, however, Celta Vigo finds itself in 19th position out of 36 teams. They have managed three wins and three losses in six matches. With only two games left, they must secure points to avoid slipping out of the top 24.
Lille’s Struggles
On the other hand, Lille has had a tough start to 2026. They lost their first three games, including a Coupe de France match against Lyon and league defeats to Rennes and Paris Saint-Germain. Their recent loss to PSG marked their third consecutive defeat in Ligue 1.
This streak has pushed Lille down to fifth in the league, a drop from their previous top-three standing. Bruno Genesio’s team needs a win to stabilize their position in the Europa League playoff spots.
Historical Context
This match will be the first competitive meeting between Celta Vigo and Lille, though they faced off in a friendly in July 2024, which Lille won 3-1. Celta Vigo has faced French teams five times historically, winning once and drawing twice.
Team News and Lineups
For Celta Vigo, Pablo Duran hopes to start after scoring in consecutive games. Top scorer Borja Iglesias, with 11 goals this season, might also return to the lineup. The team is expected to play in a 3-4-3 formation.
Meanwhile, Lille will be without left-back Mihailo Ristic due to injury, and Ilaix Moriba is suspended. Olivier Giroud is anticipated to lead the attack, supported by young talents like Felix Correia and Ethan Mbappe.
Predictions
Given the current forms of both teams, a competitive match is expected. Five of Celta Vigo’s six Europa League matches featured both teams scoring, while all resulted in three or more goals. Based on these trends, a close match is predicted, with Celta Vigo favored to win 2-1.
- Celta Vigo: Radu; Fernandez, Starfelt, Alonso; Mingueza, Roman, Sotelo, Carreira; Aspas, Iglesias, Zaragoza.
- Lille: Ozer; Meunier, Ngoy, Mandi, Perraud; Bentaleb, Mukau; Mbappe, Haraldsson, Correia; Giroud.
This matchup will be crucial for both teams as they strive for a place in the knockout rounds of the Europa League.
