Aston Villa vs. Celtic: UCL Match Preview, Odds & Prediction

On Wednesday night, in UEFA's top club tournament, Aston Villa will host Celtic, a Scottish powerhouse, at Villa Park in a Battle of Britain to secure a place in the round of 16.

This matchup comes as the Villans and West Ham United are tied for first place in the Premier League, and the Bhoys have had almost a week to celebrate their triumph against Young Boys on the seventh matchday of the League Phase.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

For the first time in forty years, Aston Villa is playing at the highest level of European football. The club has already guaranteed its place in next month's knockout stages, proving that it is not merely participating for statistical purposes.

Unai Emery's squad fell to ninth place in the League Phase rankings last Tuesday night after a goal from Wilfried Singo of Monaco sent the Villans down to their second loss of the League Phase. To avoid the playoffs, they will likely need three points against Celtic.

Despite a dismal performance in front of their fans on Sunday afternoon, Wednesday's hosts have not lost in nine matches at Villa Park. Despite this, Villa should be confident of achieving victory at their authoritarian Midlands stronghold.

On Saturday, Jacob Ramsey scored the Villans' first Premier League goal of the 2024–25 season in the eighth minute against West Ham. However, the Hammers mounted a commendable comeback in the second half, and left-back Emerson leveled the score.

With Emery's squad now four points behind fifth-placed Newcastle United in the Premier League rankings, Villa are gradually falling out of contention for a Champions League position next season. Their winless streak spans all competitions and is their longest since late November.

Celtic are supreme in their home scene, having won the Scottish championship in the last three seasons and now dominating the title race by an incredible ten points. Wednesday's visitors have lost only one of their twenty-three Premiership matches this season.

The Bhoys's lack of success in Europe has been a major talking point recently, but with the League Phase redesign, Brendan Rodgers's team now has a real shot at making a run at the Champions League's knockout rounds.

With a four-point lead over Pep Guardiola's Manchester City in 25th place, Celtic are guaranteed a playoff position regardless of how they perform this week on the arduous journey to Villa Park. A win in the Second City would give them a fighting chance of finishing within the top eight.

After going on a nine-game winning streak at Celtic Park in late November, the Bhoys have struggled to find success away from home in 2025. They lost to the Rangers and were tied for first place against lowly Dundee early this month.

Celtic have accumulated 10 points in the Champions League at home, second only to Liverpool's 12 and Arsenal's 12 in the League Phase. However, Rodgers's squad has had a tough time on the road, losing all three of their matches and conceding seven goals.

Aston Villa vs. Celtic Team News

Tyrone Mings's early departure from Sunday's draw with West Ham owing to a knee injury only exacerbated Aston Villa's injury woes at center defense.

Even though the former England international has taken to social media to reassure fans that the problem is not severe, Ezri Konsa will probably need a new defensive partner for Wednesday's match.

Good news for the Villans fans: John McGinn, who had been out for four games with a hamstring injury, is back in training and ready to play for the team this weekend.

Emery's midfield options remain restricted due to the injuries sustained by Amadou Onana (hamstring) and Ross Barkley (calf).

Spanish defender Pau Torres will be out for around six weeks after hurting his foot in late December, adding to Villa's defensive woes.

Celtic will be without Japanese international Daizen Maeda this week after he was sent off in last week's victory against Young Boys.

Kyogo Furuhashi, a key player in the recent win, is reportedly close to completing a move to French club Rennes and may have played in his last game for the Bhoys.

With James Forrest out with a foot injury and Odin Thiago Holm out with a calf injury, Rodgers will have fewer options in midfield and up forward for the visitors.

Our predictions

Aston Villa to win @ 1.53 on Sky247.ng

We should anticipate a nail-biter of a match between Villa and Celtic on Wednesday night, as both teams have a lot riding on their chances of securing a berth in the playoffs.

We expect the Villans to pull off a tight victory on the last night of the League Phase thanks to their superior playing and bench personnel.

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