The Round 8 match of the group stage of the 2025/26 Europa League between Crvena Zvezda (Serbia) and Celta Vigo (Spain) will take place on 29 January at Rajko Mitić Stadium in Belgrade. Crvena Zvezda vs Celta Vigo: prediction, betting odds and statistics.
Crvena Zvezda
Crvena Zvezda picked up only 1 point from the first three Europa League rounds but then managed to turn things around with an impressive run of four wins. Notably, in all four matches the home side won by the same 1:0 scoreline. Last week the hosts beat Malmö, a result that secured the club a place in the play-offs and moved the home side up to 11th in the standings. The hosts are aiming for a direct place in the Last 16, but given the high level of competition a win over Celta Vigo is essential to reach the top eight. It is worth noting that since the start of the group stage the home side have conceded a total of 5 goals — only four clubs have a better record in this regard.
- At least one team failed to score in five of the home side's previous Europa League matches.
- The home side's run of decisive results in this competition stretches to six matches (4 wins, 2 defeats).
- No more than two goals have been scored in five of the club's Europa League matches.
Potential Crvena Zvezda Lineup (4-4-2)*
Mateus – Sol Yong Un, Milos Veljkovic, Nair Tiknizyan, Rodrigan – Rade Krunic, Vladimir Lucic, Vasilije Kostov, Timy Elshnik – Marko Arnautovic, Aleksandar Katai.
Celta Vigo
Celta Vigo secured a valuable 2:1 win over Lille in the last round despite playing an hour a man down. The victory ended a short two-game losing run in the Europa League. The club has guaranteed a place in the play-off zone but is still two points short of eighth position. To go straight into the Last 16 the visitors need the best possible result — in Serbia it is important not only to grab three points but also to improve the goal difference. It is worth noting that the visitors have scored in every game of the current Europa League campaign and have 14 goals in total — only PAOK (15) and Midtjylland (16) have more.
- All seven of the visitors' matches in the current Europa League campaign were over the total.
- The club's run of decisive results in this European competition has reached seven matches (4 wins, 3 defeats).
- Both teams scored in seven of Celta Vigo's last eight Europa League matches.
Potential Celta Vigo Lineup (3-4-3)*
Andrei Radu – Carl Starfelt, Marcos Alonso, Javi Rodriguez – Javier Rueda, Miguel Roman, Hugo Sotelo, Sergio Carreira – Viliot Svedberg, Iago Aspas, Borja Iglesias.
The suspension of midfielder Ilaix Moriba has ended, but midfielders Viliot Svedberg and Hugo Sotelo are now serving bans.
Referee
Andrea Colombo (Italy)
Matches – 5 (International matches, 2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including seconds) – 22;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.4;
Red cards shown – 2;
Average fouls per match – 23;
Penalties – 40%.
Crvena Zvezda vs Celta Vigo: Match Prediction
After a slow start in the Europa League, Crvena Zvezda rescued the situation with four consecutive wins. Moreover, regardless of the opponent the team kept clean sheets, even if by a single goal each time. Now the home side need three points to break into the top eight and secure a direct place in the Last 16. It is important that at such a crucial moment the club has home advantage. Crvena Zvezda are unbeaten in five home Europa League matches, and four of those five were wins.
Celta Vigo are also fighting for a place in the top eight and are focused on winning. In the last round the club beat Lille at home, but now they face a trip to Serbia, and away matches have traditionally been more difficult than home fixtures. The visitors have won only one of their last five Europa League away matches. In the three away games played so far in this season's tournament the visitors have taken only three points from a possible nine.
Prediction: Crvena Zvezda Draw No Bet
* For each team the starting lineup shown is from its previous match in this tournament.