Celtic in Europa League – We can make it through to knock-out rounds

In partnership with

The Celtic Star

·8 October 2025

Celtic in Europa League – We can make it through to knock-out rounds

Celtic’s Europa League campaign has certainly not started well but can Brendan Rodgers and his squad turn things around to qualify for the knock-out rounds?

Celtic line-up prior to the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 League Phase MD2 match between Celtic FC and SC Braga at Celtic Park on October 02, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

After two matches in the new league-phase format, the Glasgow giants have collected just a single point, a 1–1 draw away to Crvena Zvezda, before suffering a bruising 2–0 defeat at home to Sporting Braga. For a club accustomed to European nights of drama and defiance, such a start has left supporters anxious and critics questioning the team’s continental pedigree, especially after their Champions League play-off embarrassment against Kairat Almaty.

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Yet, despite the disappointing opening, Celtic’s chances of progression are certainly not extinguished and many optimistic Celtic supporters are currently checking betting sites for the best odds on Brendan Rodgers and his side making it through to the knockout stages despite the bad start to campaign.

Brendan Rodgers, Manager of Celtic, looks on prior to the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 League Phase MD2 match between Celtic FC and SC Braga at Celtic Park on October 02, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

The new structure of the Europa League, which rewards consistency across eight fixtures rather than traditional group standings, still offers the Scottish Champions a narrowing but nevertheless tangible path to redemption. With six matches remaining, the equation is simple: find form fast or face yet another premature, embarrassing and costly European exit.

Tough task ahead for Celtic in the Europa League

Under UEFA’s revised format, all participating teams are ranked in a single table, with the top 24 advancing to either the knockout or play-off rounds. That gives clubs like Celtic a slightly wider margin for recovery than the old four-team group system once allowed.

Ricardo Horta of Sporting Braga celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 League Phase MD2 match between Celtic FC and SC Braga at Celtic Park on October 02, 2025.(Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Still, the numbers paint a daunting picture. According to Opta’s data models, Celtic’s odds of lifting the Europa League trophy sit at just 2.2 percent, while their chances of reaching the final hover around 5 percent. Those percentages reflect not only their slow start but also the fierce competition across Europe. To realistically progress, Celtic will likely need at least 12 points from their remaining fixtures, a formidable challenge but not beyond possibility. That means winning four matches from the six remaining matches.

Celtic have given themselves a mountain to climb

Celtic’s road ahead is demanding, with fixtures against Sturm Graz, Midtjylland, Feyenoord, Roma, Bologna, and Utrecht still to come. The home meeting with Sturm Graz presents the most immediate opportunity for points, while the trip to Denmark to face Midtjylland could prove pivotal in determining whether the Hoops stay within reach of the top 24. Celtic really must take six points from these games to reach seven points from four matches played and that should see Brendan Rodgers side move up the table.

Kelechi Iheanacho of Celtic celebrates scoring his team’s first goal, which was later ruled out during the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 League Phase MD2 match between Celtic FC and SC Braga at Celtic Park on October 02, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

More daunting, however, are the away trips to Feyenoord and Roma — two sides boasting European experience and attacking power. Celtic’s home ties, especially those against Roma and Utrecht, now carry enormous weight. Dropping points at Celtic Park could prove fatal to their ambitions, particularly with away fixtures offering little margin for recovery.

If Celtic are to resurrect their Europa League campaign, discipline and defensive organisation must come first. The defeat to Braga exposed vulnerabilities in transition, as well as a recurring inability to convert scoring chances when they arise. Manager Brendan Rodgers has already faced questions about his attacking set-up, with the severely weakened forward line – Kyogo, Nicolas Kuhn and Adam Idah were all sold this year – struggling to deliver goals in critical moments. And there are questions surrounding Kasper Schmeichel who lost a bad goal against Braga and is beginning to show signs of being well past his best.

A disgraceful VAR decision has cost Celtic dearly

Compounding matters, a controversial VAR decision against Braga saw an equaliser ruled out for handball, a moment that might have changed the complexion of the match entirely. Instead, frustration mounted, and Celtic’s composure slipped. Rodgers has since urged his players to channel that anger into controlled aggression, not self-doubt, describing the next match against Austrian side Sturm Graz – who defeated theRangers in their last match – as a must win for Celtic.

View from the Jock Stein stand, Celtic v Sporting Braga. 2 October 2025. Photo The Celtic Star

Nevertheless, Celtic’s home form remains their greatest weapon. Under the lights at Celtic Park, with the crowd in full voice, few visiting sides find life easy. The club must harness that energy to reignite their European hopes and that means bringing the support back onside amid ongoing tensions with the Celtic Board after a lack of ambition and competence in the summer led to the costly calamity against Kairat and with it the loss of £40m. Brendan Rodgers will appeal to the support to give everything they’ve got against a beatable Austrian side.

Celtic caught between belief and reality

Despite these early season misfortunes, there are reasons for cautious optimism for Celtic. The domestic campaign has been give a major boost with a dramatic comeback to win the match against Motherwell before the international break. Daizen Maeda grabbed the winner and will be feeling good about his game again and Alistair Johnston is set to return from injury and could be ready for the game against Sturm Graz. Celtic clearly possess the tools to mount a comeback in the Europa League but they’ll need to get a rub of the green that was clearly missing with that awful VAR review which Sky Sports described as the worst ever.

Clearly, Celtic’s margin for error is now vanishingly small. To reach the knockout rounds, Celtic must turn their next few matches into a relentless pursuit of maximum points. Every point dropped from here on in will carry heavy consequences by reducing the changes of progressing to the knockout round.

Celtic can make it through to knock-out rounds

Supercomputer projections via Scottish Sun suggest Celtic may finish just outside the qualification zone, potentially missing out by goal difference. Yet such predictions, as any football supporter knows, cannot account for passion, atmosphere, or momentum. What that tells us is that it’s going to be a close call and Celtic do have a chance. Now it’s all down to Brendan Rodgers and his players to make their mark on the Europa League.

Callum McGregor post match media, Celtic v Sporting Braga, 2 October 2025. Photo The Celtic Star

It’s not going to be easy but it’s certainly possible and the support needs to do our bit by filling Celtic Park for the must-win match against Sturm Graz on Thursday 23 October which has an 8pm kick-off. Tickets are on general sale now on the official Celtic FC website.

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