The Matchday 2 fixture of the Europa League 2025/26 group stage between Celta (Spain) and PAOK (Greece) will take place on October 2 at the Balaídos Stadium in Vigo. Celta vs. PAOK: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Celta
The Spanish side suffered a 1-2 defeat away to Stuttgart in the first round. Celta's winless streak in the Europa League has now reached four matches (2 draws, 2 losses). However, the team has managed to score in three of these encounters and has found the net in 7 of their last 8 games in this tournament. On the downside, they have conceded goals in their last five Europa League matches.
- Both teams scored in 5 of Celta's last 7 Europa League matches.
- Celta has scored at least one goal in 18 of their last 21 home Europa League games.
- At home, the team has avoided defeat in 5 of their last 7 matches in this competition (3 wins, 2 draws).
Predicted lineup for Celta (4-3-3)
Andrei Radu – Carl Starfelt, Oscar Mingueza, Damian Rodriguez, Marcos Alonso – Fran Beltran, Ilaix Moriba, Younes El-Abdellaoui – Ferran Jutgla, Pablo Duran, Iago Aspas.
Defenders Sergio Carreira and Mihailo Ristic are sidelined due to injuries.
PAOK
The Greek team played out a goalless draw at home against Maccabi Tel Aviv in the previous round. PAOK has only one win in their last 8 Europa League matches (3 draws, 4 losses). They have failed to score in 6 of these encounters. However, they have also kept clean sheets in 4 of their last 5 games in this tournament.
- PAOK conceded first in 5 of their last 7 Europa League matches.
- The team has not won in 6 of their last 7 away games in this competition (1 draw, 5 losses).
- In 7 of their last 9 away Europa League matches, PAOK has not scored more than one goal.
Predicted lineup for PAOK (4-5-1)
Jiri Pavlenka – Abdul Rahman Baba, Tomasz Kedziora, Giannis Michailidis, Jonjoe Kenny – Andrija Zivkovic, Magomed Ozdoev, Giannis Konstantelias, Soualiho Meite, Taison – Georgios Giakoumakis.
Midfielder Dimitris Pelkas is injured.
Referee
Igor Pajač (Croatia)
Matches – 11 (International matches, 2024/2025 - 2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 40;
Average yellow cards per match – 3.6;
Red cards shown – 1;
Average fouls per match – 24;
Penalties – 18%.
Celta vs. PAOK: Match Prediction
Razvan Lucescu's side advanced to the main round with only one victory in regular time. Notably, that win came at home, where PAOK traditionally puts up a fight against almost any opponent. However, away from home, PAOK has only won 2 of their last 14 Europa League matches (2 draws, 10 losses). It's important to note that they failed to score in 9 of these encounters.
Celta should capitalize on their opponent's weakness on the road. Moreover, Celta themselves perform well at home. They have avoided defeat in 26 of their last 29 home matches in the Europa League (20 wins, 6 draws). Often, one or two goals are enough for them to secure points, as they concede very few goals: no more than one in 14 of their last 16 home games in this tournament.
Considering these facts, my prediction: Celta will not lose and Total under 3.5 goals
