Celtic vs Bayer Leverkusen Preview

Celtic will turn their attention to their European campaign this Thursday when they welcome Bayer Leverkusen to Glasgow for the second game of their Europa League group stage.

The Scottish side have been put in a difficult group and they opened their group stage with 4-3 loss to Real Betis.

They will look to bounce back from that disappointing loss in Spain but are entering this tie low in confidence. They already sit six points adrift of arch-rivals Rangers in the Scottish Premiership and have lost two of their last four games in all competitions.

However, their home form this season remains impressive as they have won seven of their nine home matches (D2). They scored three or more goals on six occasions during that stint and have tasted victory ‘to nil’ twice in two UEL qualification matches.

Celtic’s record against German sides in European competitions isn’t great as they have won just four times in 24 games (D5, L15).

Leverkusen, meanwhile, travel to Scotland on a three-game-winning run. The German side opened their Europa League campaign with a 2-1 win over Ferencvaros.

They have won five of their last six games and will be looking to continue that impressive record.

The visitors have won five of their previous eight away UEL matches (D1, L2), and are also unbeaten in four competitive away outings this season (W3, D1). In those four games, they scored three or more goals on three occasions and will fancy their chances of getting as many goals in this game.