VfB Stuttgart at full strength for Celtic visit, four Trusty points to consider | OneFootball

VfB Stuttgart manager Sebastian Hoeness has insisted that he will field a full strength side against Celtic in the second leg of the Europa League play-off tomorrow night, despite holding a massive 4-1 advantage in the tie from the first leg at Celtic Park…

Sebastian Hoeness coach, VfB Stuttgart at the press conference ahead of the UEFA Europa League first leg match between Celtic Glasgow FC and VfB Stuttgart in Glasgow, Scotland, on February 18, 2026. Photo JOERAN STEINSIEK

With Celtic eyes now firmly fixed on the Glasgow Derby league match at Ibrox on Sunday lunchtime, this is certainly not going to be a priority tie for Martin O’Neill who is likely to field a team made up of squad players and the likes of Auston Trusty who is suspended for the next three matches after his red card appeal was thrown out by the Scottish FA last night.

Do you know what the VfB in Stuttgart’s name stands for?

Speaking to the media at the Neckarstadion, now called the MHP Arena the VfB Stuttgart manager dismisses suggestions that the tie is effectively over. Incidentally do you know what VfB stands for? Me neither so just checked. You learn something every day, see below for the answer.

Head coach Sebastian Hoeness of VfB Stuttgart looks on during the Bundesliga match between FC St. Pauli and VfB Stuttgart at Millerntor Stadium on February 07, 2026 in Hamburg, Germany. (Photo by Selim Sudheimer/Getty Images)

“It’s half-time, it’s not over yet. When you play a football match, you don’t stop after 45 minutes and it’s the same here,” Sebastian Hoeness said as reported by Daily Record. “We had a good result and we’re confident that we’re able to go into the next round. My colleague on the other side has experienced a lot in his career and that’s why he’s able to tell his guys that everything is possible.

“We don’t underestimate our opponent tomorrow. We want to win because it’s important for us to go to the next round, but in the best case, we will win, and that’s what we want to do.

“It will give us a good feeling and help us to get to the next games in a positive mindset and that’s why we want to show our best performance tomorrow. You will see it with the team that we will play that we don’t think it’s over yet,” the Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart boss said.

VfB Stuttgart team photo at Celtic Park ahead of the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 Knockout Play-off First Leg match between Celtic FC and VfB Stuttgart at Celtic Park on February 19, 2026. (Photo by WM Sport Media/Getty Images)

He also dismissed suggestions that his side had a comfortable night at Celtic Park, noting that the scoreline is perhaps misleading. Callum McGregor the Celtic captain commented after the game that it was never a 4-1 game but that’s exactly how it ended up.

“I don’t think I would use the word ‘comfortable,” Sebastian Hoeness

“I don’t think I would use the word ‘comfortable’. Of course, the result looked that way but there were phases in the game that were not so comfortable,” Hoeness admitted.

“It was clear to see that you have to play at your best level to compete, even if the result is clear. In the end it was deserved, I don’t know if it was the right result but it was a deserved win.

“As I said before, they will come here to go to the next round. It makes the most sense in my opinion and we are prepared for this game.

“We have a lot of reasons to have a good match. We have a lot of fans here who come to see us fight like always. They come to see a good performance that’s motivation and you will see that we don’t think it will be easy.”

Callum McGregor walks out ahead of the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 Knockout Play-off First Leg match between Celtic FC and VfB Stuttgart at Celtic Park on February 19, 2026. (Photo by WM Sport Media/Getty Images)

Celtic can’t expect an opponent with a cigar and slippers attitude

So Celtic can’t expect an opponent with a cigar and slippers attitude and given the likely changes that Martin O’Neill will make it could be a long old evening for the thousands of Celtic fans who have travelled over from the game, including several from The Celtic Star. For the rest of us it could be a case of hiding behind the sofa and in recent times that’s a horrible endurance task and those games always seem to last for ever.

Martin O’Neill arrives at Celtic Park ahead of the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 Knockout Play-off First Leg match between Celtic FC and VfB Stuttgart at Celtic Park on February 19, 2026. (Photo by WM Sport Media/Getty Images)

Celtic fringe players have opportunity to impress Martin O’Neill

The flip side is for players like Sinisalo, Murray, Donovan, Ralston, Arthur, McCowan, Bernardo, Adamu and Forrest it’s a chance to get a rare start and push up the rankings in the manager’s thoughts. For Auston Trusty it’s a last match before he has to sit out the next three weekends after the astonishing few minutes on last Sunday when these things all happened:

ONE – VAR re-refereed the game to invent a new sending off scenario that John McGinn said changes the game. We can now expect sending offs at corners in most matches. 

22.02.2026 Celtic v Hibernian, Scottish Premiership. Liam Scales rages at Matthew MacDermid after being fouled at a corner but no penalty given. Kenny Ramsay IMAGO

TWO – When the Celtic corner was taken the referee clearly looked away from the incident involving the clear pull on Liam Scales which VAR ignored. Instead he watched the flight of the ball. The referee gave Scales and later Martin O’Neill an explanation that the pull wasn’t long enough despite the clear evidence that he wasn’t even looking.

THREE – VAR informed the stadium with the big screens at Celtic Park that the outcome to their check was no penalty because the foul happened outside the box!  Yet no Hibs players were outside the box to commit the foul outside the penalty area and Liam Scales was closer to the goal-line than the edge of the penalty area. Trolling the Celtic support or making things up as they go along, you decide.

22.02.2026 Celtic v Hibernian, Scottish Premiership. Matthew MacDermid Photo Kenny Ramsay IMAGO

FOUR –  With Trusty off the park and Scales angry at being denied a penalty the referee re-started the match by giving Hibs a goal-kick despite the ball clearly being headed behind by an unchallenged Hibs defender.

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

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