Europa League is far from a distraction for Celtic, it’s an ambitious objective

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The Celtic Star

·19 February 2026

Europa League is far from a distraction for Celtic, it’s an ambitious objective

Europe is far from a distraction, it’s am ambitious objective and a win tonight could kickstart a much needed run of good form to help us on three fronts…

Callum McGregor celebrates at Rugby Park. Kilmarnock 2 Celtic 3. Scottish Premiership. Sunday 15 February 2026. Photo Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

This evening Celtic will take on the talented Bundesliga outfit VfB Stuttgart, and it goes without saying that it will be extremely challenging to get the win we need to take to Germany next week, especially against a side packed full of quality players.

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Going by our own recent performances it will be a tough challenge but one we can rise to. If we’re struggling to overcome the likes of Kilmarnock and Livingston, then overcoming a top four Bundesliga outfit seems well out of reach but that’s exactly whey we say football is a fully old game.

7 Apr 2001: Martin O”Neill celebrates winning the league title after the Scottish Premier League game against St Mirren at Celtic Park. Celtic won the game 1 – 0. Photo: Tom Shaw /Allsport

Big European nights just hit differently inside Paradise, and much like all of our Scottish Premiership rivals when they face the green and white hoops, Tonight Celtic will raise our game significantly when the first whistle sounds, backed by what hopefully will be a near capacity crowd, although as things stand the Green Brigade will NOT be in attendance and the bans on the Celtic ultras and Celtic fan media, including The Celtic Star stay in place. Both are instances of the collective punishment that this Celtic board dishes out and there will be no chance of any ‘unity’ until these matters are resolved.

Back to the game tonight. Our last two results in Europe will give us some confidence, and if we show the best version of ourselves in the same manner as we did against Bologna, Utrecht, and Feyenoord for that matter, and perhaps get that bit of luck on the night, then I don’t see why we can’t register a crucial victory to take to Stuttgart next week.

Last time we played them we won 3-1 at Celtic Park, then took an early 2-0 lead in Stuggart before hanging on desperately at the end. It’s not going to be any easier two decades later.

A win tonight won’t only give us great confidence to advance to the last 16 of the Europa, it could very well ignite our hopes and confidence going forward domestically, with Sunday’s clash with Hibs signalling the start of a hectic and exciting schedule of four games in just two weeks, a schedule that sees us go to Ibrox twice with a trip to Pittodrie sandwiched in between.

VfB Stuttgart pose for a photo during the DFB Cup quarter final match between Holstein Kiel and VfB Stuttgart at Holstein-Stadion on February 04, 2026 in Kiel, Germany. (Photo by Selim Sudheimer/Getty Images)

A good result and performance against a top German side would lift the spirts of both the players and supporters heading into those run of crucial domestic games, fixtures that will define our campaign one way or another.

We’ve got to believe in ourselves this evening, and start producing the form we know that we are fully capable of, and this is the perfect way to kickstart our push on three fronts, with the Celtic roar behind the team for the entire match.

Let’s make some noise FOR the Bhoys and AGAINST the Board. Stand up for Celtic.

Just an Ordinary Bhoy

Celtic in the Thirties by Matt Corr. Click on image to order