Celta Vigo have it all to do on Thursday evening as they look to overturn a three-goal deficit in their Europa League quarter-final second leg against Freiburg. The German side came out 3-0 winners in the first leg last week and will be confident of progressing to the final four. The game kicks off at 8:00pm and below you can find our match preview and best bets for the occasion.
Best Bets & predictions
| Our Prediction | Odds & Bookmaker | Confidence | Why We’re Backing It |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vincenzo Grifo to Score Anytime | 10/3 @ Bet365 (23.1%) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Vinzenzo Grifo has been one of the stand out performers for Freiburg this season and after his goal against Celta last week, he now has 13 across all competitions this season. The Italian has started 10 Europa League matches this season, and has scored in four of those. That immediately gives appeal to the 10/3 on show with bet365, especially with Celta needing to attack and potentially leaving themselves open at the back. |
| Marcos Alonso to be carded | 11/4 @ Bet365 (26.7%) | ⭐⭐⭐ | Former Chelsea man Marcos Alonso was shown a whopping nine yellow and two red cards in La Liga for Celta Vigo last season. This term, the Spaniard has four cautions in the league and a further two in the Europa League. Now at the age of 35, and with Celta chasing the game, he looks a strong proposition to find his way into the book. |
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How both teams go into Celta Vigo vs Freiburg
SC Freiburg head into their Europa League quarter-final second leg against Celta Vigo in strong position after a dominant 3-0 first-leg win in Germany. Goals from Vincenzo Grifo, Niklas Beste and Matthias Ginter put them in control, and they also restricted Celta to very few clear chances, with the Spanish side failing to register a shot on target in that match. Freiburg have now scored 18 goals in the competition this season while conceding just six, underlining their balance at both ends of the pitch.
The German side have been particularly strong at home in Europe, winning all their group and knockout matches at the Europa-Park Stadion this season, and they have also shown resilience away from home, including a key 5-1 aggregate win over Genk in the last round. Celta, meanwhile, have struggled for consistency, conceding heavily in domestic and European fixtures in recent weeks. With Freiburg unbeaten in several recent European ties and holding a commanding aggregate lead, they will feel well placed to reach the semi-finals if they manage the return leg in Spain.
Celta Vigo arrive at their Europa League quarter-final second leg against SC Freiburg needing a near-miracle after a 3-0 first-leg defeat in Spain, where they failed to register a shot on target and were comfortably second best. That result left them with just one win in their last four European matches and underlined defensive issues, having conceded 16 goals across the competition while scoring 21 overall this season.
Domestically and in Europe, Celta’s campaign has been inconsistent, with heavy defeats mixed with narrow wins, including a 2-0 aggregate victory over Lyon in the previous round that briefly raised hopes of a deep run. However, their latest setback has continued a trend of fragile form at key moments, and they now face the daunting task of overturning a three-goal deficit away from home. Despite the odds, Celta will lean on their attacking talents such as Iago Aspas in search of an early breakthrough to ignite belief at Balaídos.
Conclusion
It’s incredibly difficult to see Celta Vigo turning over a three-goal margin on Thursday and instead of backing the match result, we like the look of two player-based bets. The first of those is for Vincenzo Grifo to find the net at 10/3, while the 11/4 for Marcos Alonso to be carded gives plenty of appeal.
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