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Estadio da Luz, Lisbon
Thursday 15 October 2026, 20:00 BST
Celtic's opening Europa League league-phase fixture was a 3-1 home defeat to Ferencvaros last month, sandwiched between 3-0 and 1-0 losses against Rangers, and Thursday's trip to Estadio da Luz pits Martin O'Neill's side against a Benfica team who began their own league-phase campaign with a 2-0 win away at Milan.
Celtic did win at Motherwell last time out to stay top of the Scottish Premiership, but Thursday's hosts represent a far sterner test than anything they have faced domestically this season. Benfica have won four of their last five matches in all competitions, with only a 3-1 defeat at Porto interrupting a run that left them second in Liga Portugal and full of confidence.
Benfica vs Celtic: Europa League form and preview
Benfica's form has been almost perfect, but a 3-1 defeat against Porto ended a 12-match unbeaten run. Marco Silva will highlight that Clement Lenglet was sent off in the first half, leaving his side to play for an hour with 10 men, though a four-point gap to their first-placed victors is not insurmountable.
Benfica responded well to the loss, following it with a 2-0 win against Vitoria Guimaraes on October 11 that kept them second in the table, and anyone comparing markets before kickoff can run through our pick of the best new sports betting sites before deciding where to bet.
Striker Vangelis Pavlidis has arguably been the club's best performer, scoring eight goals in nine games. He did fail to score in Benfica's league-phase win at Milan, so he will hope for better service from Gianluca Prestianni and Dodi Lukebakio. Backers tracking the goals markets specifically may want to check our list of the top 10 football betting sites, which breaks down which operators carry the strongest football coverage.
Enzo Barrenechea is a confirmed absentee until November with a knee injury, while Jakub Kaminski is a doubt with a muscle problem and Leandro Barreiro has also emerged as a doubt because of a back issue. Marco Silva nonetheless has considerable depth to call upon, with summer arrivals Joao Palhinha, Jhon Duran and Souffian El Karouani all in contention to start.
Celtic's defeat to Ferencvaros was particularly alarming given how it unfolded. The Scots managed to draw level through Mika Baur's close-range finish after an opener, only for Kristoffer Zachariassen to restore Ferencvaros's lead right before half time and Daniel Arzani to add a third with a fine finish from distance after the break.
That display continued a wider pattern in continental competition this year. Celtic were eliminated at the Champions League qualifying play-off stage by LASK, away in Linz, before dropping into the Europa League, though only after squandering a 3-0 lead in the first leg of their tie.
Three separate absences complicate O'Neill's planning for Thursday, with Cameron Carter-Vickers and Hyun-Jun Yang unavailable, while Alistair Johnston is nursing a recurrence of the hamstring problem that has disrupted his start to the campaign. Losing a first-choice centre-back and a regular full-back within the same squad will be a test of Celtic's resolve against a side of Benfica's quality.
If there was anything for O'Neill to point to as a positive, it would be their 2-0 win at Motherwell that ended a three-match losing streak, and they are still leading the Scottish Premiership despite issues in the team at both ends of the pitch. A win in Lisbon would truly boost confidence and confirm the end of a poor period. New customers looking to get involved in Thursday's game can also weigh up the latest betting sign up offers before kickoff.
Team news and predicted lineups: Benfica vs Celtic
Benfica team news
Barrenechea is ruled out until November with a knee injury, and Kaminski is a doubt because of a muscle issue picked up in training.
Barreiro has also emerged as a doubt with a back problem, a concern that has not eased in the build-up to the game, leaving a decision for Marco Silva over his midfield pairing alongside captain Fredrik Aursnes.
None of this significantly dents Benfica's options. The club brought in Joao Palhinha, Jhon Duran, Claudio Echeverri and Souffian El Karouani in the summer, and all are available for selection, while Lenglet's red card at Porto does not apply in Europe.
Benfica predicted lineup vs Celtic
Probable formation (4-2-3-1): Trubin; Bah, Araujo, Circati, El Karouani; Palhinha, Aursnes; Lukebakio, Schjelderup, Prestianni; Pavlidis.
Celtic team news
Carter-Vickers, Johnston and Yang are all missing for Celtic, with Johnston's hamstring issue still bothering him. Callum Osmand is also a doubt with an ankle problem, leaving O'Neill with fewer attacking options to call upon from the bench than he would like.
Jota made his return from injury against Motherwell after a 533-day competitive absence, but he was not registered as part of the club's squad in the league phase, meaning he cannot play.
O'Neill's selection elsewhere is relatively settled, and the XI below mirrors the team that started the 2-0 win over Motherwell, with no changes made.
Celtic predicted lineup vs Benfica
Probable formation (4-2-3-1): Sinisalo; Donovan, Scales, Murray, Tierney; McGregor, Baur; Tounekti, Nygren, Duran; Hogh.
Head-to-head: Benfica vs Celtic
Benfica and Celtic have met eight times, with only two of those meetings coming before the 2006-07 season. The most recent clash between the two came in November 2012 at Estadio da Luz, where Benfica won 2-1.
To Celtic's credit, they have managed to come out on top three times, though their opponents have claimed victory against them on four occasions.
In terms of goals, Celtic fall short of their hosts, with the Scottish side netting eight times in this matchup, one fewer than Benfica have managed.
Our Benfica vs Celtic prediction and best bets
Benfica's edge in quality is reflected across the betting markets, with the hosts strongly fancied to win and keep Celtic at arm's length. Those comparing operators before kickoff can run through our bet365 bookie review for a full breakdown of their football coverage, while new customers can also check the latest bet365 sign up offer before placing a bet.
Odds correct as of Tuesday, 13 October 2026, 18:00 BST.
- Vangelis Pavlidis to open the scoring inside the opening half hour
- Barreiro and Kaminski assessed late, but Benfica have the cover to field a strong starting XI regardless
- Celtic to struggle for a response without Carter-Vickers and Johnston at the back
Lewis is an avid writer and football fan, with years of experience working as a freelance journalist across text, audio and video.
As a Liverpool supporter, Lewis has frequently covered the club of his heart, though he has also branched out considerably, interviewing and writing about personalities across the football sphere.