Roma travel to Celtic Park following back-to-back Europa League wins. Meanwhile, Celtic prepare for their first UEL game under Wilfried Nancy.
Best bets for Celtic vs AS Roma
- Match drawn at odds of 3.40 with Betway
- Under 2.5 goals at odds of 1.87 with Betway
- Reo Hatate to score or assist at odds of 5.00 with Betway
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Our analysis: Form of both teams
- Score prediction: Celtic 1-1 AS Roma
- Goalscorers prediction: Celtic – Hatate, AS Roma - Soule
Wilfried Nancy is preparing his new Celtic team for their first Europa League action against AS Roma on Thursday night.
Celtic Park is renowned for its electric atmosphere on European football nights. The Hoops will need their fans to be at their vociferous best to overcome Gian Piero Gasperini’s AS Roma this week.
Nancy took charge of Celtic for the first time at the weekend. They fell to a bitterly disappointing 2-1 home defeat to Hearts. The loss was a major setback after Celtic had rebuilt their season under interim boss Martin O’Neill. Celtic currently sit 21st in the Europa League table after five games. However, a win could catapult them towards the top eight places and automatic qualification for the knockout phase.
AS Roma are 15th in the Europa League table, winning three and losing two. They’ve started to display some domestic inconsistency, losing back-to-back Serie A games prior to this trip to Glasgow.
Nevertheless, I Giallorossi have already had success in the Scottish capital this season. They defeated Glasgow Rangers 2-0 in November, so they will not be easy opponents. Squad availability will be the biggest issue for Gasperini, as he awaits updates on the fitness of Leon Bailey and Evan Ferguson.
Probable lineups for Celtic vs AS Roma
Glasgow Celtic expected lineup: Schmeichel, Scales, Tierney, Trusty, Tounekti, Hyun-Jun, McGregor, Engels, Nygren, Hatate, Maeda
AS Roma expected lineup: Svilar, Ndicka, Ghilardi, Mancini, Celik, Franca, El Aynaoui, Kone, Soule, Pellegrini, Dybala
Both giants stumble – who will prevail?
Celtic now average more than two points per game after a disastrous start to the Scottish Premiership season. Despite their loss to Hearts at the weekend, the Hoops are just three points off the summit, with one game in-hand.
AS Roma are also performing well domestically, with 27 points from 14 Serie A games. However, they’ve lost three of their last five Serie A games. Both teams are at the right end of their domestic tables, but they are showing signs of inconsistency. Therefore, it’s difficult to back either side with any confidence.
That’s why the draw offers decent value at a probability of just 29.41%. A draw for either team wouldn’t be a disaster, as it would likely keep both inside the top 24. Nevertheless, it would heap even more pressure on their subsequent UEL league-phase fixtures.
Celtic vs AS Roma Bet 1: Match drawn at odds of 3.40 with Betway
Hoops set for a low-scoring contest
All of Celtic’s UEL league-phase games have been low-scoring so far. They’ve scored just seven goals and conceded eight goals in five matches. In addition, AS Roma have scored the same number and let in only one goal per game in their five UEL matches.
It’s also worth noting that Celtic have only conceded two or more goals in one of their last six games in all competitions. New boss, Wilfried Nancy, is keen on imposing his new structure and philosophy on the Hoops as quickly as possible. The squad will need time to fully adapt, especially after Martin O’Neill simplified things in recent weeks.
The betting markets believe there is only a 53.48% chance for this game to feature two or fewer goals. With both teams averaging 1.40 goals scored per UEL game, a 1-1 draw seems the most likely outcome here.
Celtic vs AS Roma Bet 2: Under 2.5 goals at odds of 1.87 with Betway
Value on Hatate to grab the midweek headlines
Reo Hatate, Celtic’s Japanese midfield sensation, stands out from the crowd in the player prop betting markets. The 28-year-old has made a positive start to the 25/26 UEL league phase. He has two goals and one assist in five appearances, resulting in a 60% strike rate for goal contributions.
He registered 14 goal contributions in the Scottish Premiership last season too. If Celtic are to get a foothold in Thursday’s game, Hatate is likely to be at the heart of their attacking play.
The betting markets give us a 20% probability that Hatate will either score or assist a goal against Roma. Given his strike rate in the UEL this season, this seems like the top value play from our trio of Celtic vs AS Roma predictions.
Celtic vs AS Roma Bet 3: Reo Hatate to score or assist at odds of 5.00 with Betway