Celta Vigo vs Lyon Prediction 12.03.2026 | UEFA Europa League
Celta Vigo
Kick off:
Date:
Lyon
1
2.18
X
3.64
2
3.54
Contents
- Competition: UEFA Europa League - last 16 1st leg
- Date: Thursday, 12th, March 2026
- Kickoff: 20:00 UK / 21:00 CET
- Venue: Estadio de Balaidos (Vigo)
An intriguing clash of styles awaits at the Municipal de Balaidos on Thursday night, as a rejuvenated Celta Vigo play host to French heavyweights Lyon in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League round-of-16 tie.
Celta Vigo vs Lyon Head to Head (H2H) stats
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Celta Vigo
1 : 0
Lyon
Club Friendlies 3
Celta Vigo team overview
Currently occupying an impressive sixth place in the La Liga standings, Celta Vigo approach this continental showdown as one of the most compelling success stories of the season, having skillfully blended their academy-driven philosophy with a ruthless competitive edge in the UEFA Europa League.
Under the guidance of Claudio Giraldez, the Galician outfit have turned Municipal de Balaidos into a formidable European stronghold this term, collecting three victories from their four home outings during the league phase, a record they will aim to protect against a Olympique Lyonnais side that has recently shown signs of travel sickness.
Although their narrow 2-1 setback against Real Madrid last weekend halted a sparkling four-match winning run, confidence around the Celta camp remains high, buoyed by the knowledge that they have already bested elite opposition on home soil during the 2025-26 campaign.
Team news-wise, 24-year-old centre-forward Pablo Durán is the only confirmed absentee for the Galician side due to a knee injury, while a handful of players are expected to miss out after falling out of Giráldez’s immediate plans.
Last matches of Celta Vigo
-
Celta Vigo
1 : 2
Real Madrid
La Liga
-
Girona
1 : 2
Celta Vigo
La Liga
-
Celta Vigo
1 : 0
PAOK
Europa League
-
Celta Vigo
2 : 0
Mallorca
La Liga
-
PAOK
1 : 2
Celta Vigo
Europa League
Celta Vigo lineup
Goalkeeper
-
13
Ionuț Radu
Defenders
-
5
Sergio Carreira
-
20
Marcos Alonso
-
2
Carl Starfelt
-
32
Javi Rodríguez
Midfielders
-
15
Matías Vecino
-
6
Ilaix Moriba
-
10
Iago Aspas
Forwards
-
19
Williot Swedberg
-
7
Borja Iglesias
-
17
Javi Rueda
Lyon team overview
Meanwhile, Olympique Lyonnais have emerged as one of the standout performers of the UEFA Europa League league phase, finishing top of the overall standings with an impressive 21 points from a possible 24. Les Gones suffered just a single setback across their eight outings while also boasting the joint-most potent attack in the competition with 18 goals to their name.
Under the astute guidance of Paulo Fonseca, Lyon have been reshaped into a remarkably efficient outfit, with the Portuguese tactician currently maintaining a striking 62% win rate – the highest in the club’s history. His influence has also been felt domestically, where the seven-time French champions presently occupy fourth place in Ligue 1, level on points with Olympique de Marseille who currently hold the final automatic qualification spot for the UEFA Champions League.
Despite their earlier European dominance this season, Lyon travel to Vigo seeking to halt a recent dip in domestic form, having gone three league matches without victory, a sequence that included a frustrating 1-1 draw against newly promoted Paris FC at the weekend, a fixture in which Fonseca was forced to rotate heavily.
Lyon’s ambitions for the first leg are further complicated by a growing injury list. Ainsley Maitland-Niles is sidelined with an adductor problem, joining influential figures Pavel Sulc, Ernest Nuamah and Malick Fofana on the treatment table.
Last matches of Lyon
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Lyon
1 : 1
Paris FC
Ligue 1
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Lyon
4 : 5
RC Lens
Coupe de France
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Marseille
3 : 2
Lyon
Ligue 1
-
Strasbourg
3 : 1
Lyon
Ligue 1
-
Lyon
2 : 0
OGC Nice
Ligue 1
Lyon lineup
Goalkeeper
-
1
Dominik Greif
Defenders
-
33
Hans Hateboer
-
19
Moussa Niakhaté
-
22
Clinton Mata
Midfielders
-
16
Abner
-
99
Noah Nartey
-
6
Tanner Tessmann
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3
Nicolás Tagliafico
Forwards
-
77
Roman Yaremchuk
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8
Corentin Tolisso
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7
Adam Karabec
Prediction
While Lyon have been the undisputed "kings of the group stage," arriving in Vigo with the competition's most potent attack, their current momentum has been severely hampered by a burgeoning injury crisis and a recent domestic stumbles. Celta Vigo, by contrast, are playing with the fearlessness of a side with "nothing to lose," backed by a raucous home crowd that has seen them dispatch several high-profile opponents this term.
We expect a high-intensity affair where Celta’s superior tactical freshness—following Lyon’s grueling domestic schedule—will eventually tell. While Les Gones possess enough quality to snatch a vital away goal to keep the tie alive for the return leg at the Groupama Stadium, the Galician outfit should have just enough in the tank to secure a slender first-leg advantage.
Three Reasons we expect Celta Vigo to Win
- Celta have won six of their last eight home matches across all competitions.
- Lyon are currently on a four-match winless run in all competitions (D1 L3).
- Lyon have conceded at least three goals in three of their last four competitive outings.
Main prediction Celta Vigo - Lyon
Celta Vigo to win
Best Odds:
22bet
2.18
Celta Vigo vs Lyon standings in Europa League
| League Stage | P | W | D | L |
G - A
|
GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Olympique Lyonnais | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 18 - 5 | +13 | 21 |
| 2 | Aston Villa | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 14 - 6 | +8 | 21 |
| 3 | FC Midtjylland | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 18 - 8 | +10 | 19 |
| 4 | Real Betis | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 13 - 7 | +6 | 17 |
| 5 | Porto | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 13 - 7 | +6 | 17 |
| 6 | Sporting Braga | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 11 - 5 | +6 | 17 |
| 7 | SC Freiburg | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 10 - 4 | +6 | 17 |
| 8 | Roma | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 13 - 6 | +7 | 16 |
| 9 | Genk | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 11 - 7 | +4 | 16 |
| 10 | Bologna | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 14 - 7 | +7 | 15 |
| 11 | VfB Stuttgart | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 15 - 9 | +6 | 15 |
| 12 | Ferencvárosi | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 12 - 11 | +1 | 15 |
| 13 | Nottingham Forest | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 15 - 7 | +8 | 14 |
| 14 | Viktoria Plzeň | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 8 - 3 | +5 | 14 |
| 15 | Crvena Zvezda | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 7 - 6 | +1 | 14 |
| 16 | Celta de Vigo | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 15 - 11 | +4 | 13 |
| 17 | PAOK | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 17 - 14 | +3 | 12 |
| 18 | LOSC Lille | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 12 - 9 | +3 | 12 |
| 19 | Fenerbahçe | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 10 - 7 | +3 | 12 |
| 20 | Panathinaikos | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 11 - 9 | +2 | 12 |
| 21 | Celtic | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 13 - 15 | -2 | 11 |
| 22 | Ludogorets | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 12 - 15 | -3 | 10 |
| 23 | Dinamo Zagreb | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 12 - 16 | -4 | 10 |
| 24 | Brann | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 9 - 11 | -2 | 9 |
| 25 | Young Boys | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 10 - 16 | -6 | 9 |
| 26 | Sturm Graz | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 5 - 11 | -6 | 7 |
| 27 | FCSB | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 9 - 16 | -7 | 7 |
| 28 | Go Ahead Eagles | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 6 - 14 | -8 | 7 |
| 29 | Feyenoord | 8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 11 - 15 | -4 | 6 |
| 30 | Basel | 8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 9 - 13 | -4 | 6 |
| 31 | Salzburg | 8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 10 - 15 | -5 | 6 |
| 32 | Rangers | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 - 14 | -9 | 4 |
| 33 | Nice | 8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 7 - 15 | -8 | 3 |
| 34 | FC Utrecht | 8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 5 - 15 | -10 | 1 |
| 35 | Malmö FF | 8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 4 - 15 | -11 | 1 |
| 36 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 2 - 22 | -20 | 1 |