Match Overview

The 2nd round match of the UEFA 2025/26 group stage between Celta (Spain) and PAOK (Greece) is scheduled for October 2nd at the Balaídos stadium in Vigo. This preview offers a detailed forecast, key statistics, and betting insights for the Celta – PAOK encounter.

Celta’s Current Form

The Spanish side faced a 1-2 away defeat against Stuttgart in their opening match. Celta’s winless streak in the now extends to four matches (2 draws, 2 losses). However, they managed to score in three of these four games. In fact, the club has found the net in 7 of their last 8 matches in this competition. Conversely, Celta has conceded goals in their last five fixtures.

Celta’s Key Statistics

• Both teams scored in 5 out of Celta’s last 7 matches.
• Celta has scored at least one goal in 18 of their last 21 home matches in the .
• At their home ground in this European competition, the team has avoided defeat in 5 of their last 7 games (3 wins, 2 draws).

Celta Predicted Lineup (4-3-3)*

Andrei Radu – Karl Starfelt, Oscar Mingueza, Damian Rodriguez, Marcos Alonso – Fran Beltran, Ilaix Moriba, Younes El-Abdellaoui – Ferran Jutgla, Pablo Duran, Iago Aspas.

Celta Team News

Defenders Sergio Carreira, Karl Starfelt, and Mihajlo Ristic are sidelined due to injuries.

PAOK’s Current Form

The Greek team played out a 0-0 home draw against Maccabi Tel-Aviv in their previous match. PAOK has secured only one victory in their last 8 matches (3 draws, 4 losses). Notably, in six of these games, PAOK failed to score a single goal. However, they have also prevented opponents from scoring in 4 of their last 5 matches in this tournament.

PAOK’s Key Statistics

• The Greek side conceded the first goal in 5 of their last 7 matches.
• PAOK has not won in 6 of their last 7 away matches in this tournament (1 draw, 5 losses).
• In 7 of their last 9 away games, the club scored no more than one goal.

PAOK Predicted Lineup (4-5-1)*

Jiri Pavlenka – Abdul Rahman Baba, Tomas Kedziora, Giannis Michailidis, Jonjo Kenny – Andrija Zivkovic, Magomed Ozdoev, Giannis Konstantelias, Soualiho Meite, Taison – Georgios Giakoumakis.

PAOK Team News

Midfielder Dimitris Pelkas is currently injured.

Referee Profile

Igor Pajac (Croatia)

Match count – 11 (International fixtures, 2024/2025 – 2025/26);

Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 40;

Average yellow cards per match – 3.6;

Red cards shown – 1;

Average fouls per match – 24;

Penalties awarded – 18%.

Match Prediction Analysis

Razvan Lucescu’s squad reached the main round of the competition with just one victory in regular time. This win came at home, where the Greek team typically puts up a strong fight against almost any opponent. However, PAOK has managed to win only two of their last 14 away matches in the (2 draws, 10 losses). It is crucial to note that in 9 of these away fixtures, the club failed to score at all.

Celta’s Home Advantage

Celta should capitalize on their opponent’s struggles away from home. The Spanish side themselves have a solid home record, remaining undefeated in 26 of their last 29 matches at home (20 wins, 6 draws). Often, scoring just one or two goals has been sufficient for them to secure points. Furthermore, Celta typically concedes few goals at home, allowing no more than one goal in 14 of their last 16 home games in this tournament.

Final Prediction

Considering these factors, my prediction is: Celta will not lose, and Total Goals Under 3.5.

Note on Lineups

* For each team, the starting lineup from their last match in this tournament is indicated.