NafisaCeltic’s hopes of reaching the Europa League knockout stages are hanging by a thread after Martin O’Neill’s side suffered a third consecutive defeat in the competition, leaving the Scottish champions facing an increasingly difficult battle to rescue their European campaign.
The Hoops went into Thursday night’s clash against Celta Vigo knowing they could not afford another setback after losing to Ferencváros and Benfica in their opening two matches. With the pressure mounting, Parkhead offered the perfect opportunity to finally get their campaign moving in the right direction.
For a while, it looked as though Celtic might deliver. Mika Baur put the hosts ahead early in the second half, and O’Neill’s men had opportunities to strengthen their advantage, with Liam Scales hitting the woodwork and Benjamin Nygren forcing a save from goalkeeper Ionut Radu.
But Celtic once again failed to turn promising moments into a positive result. Javi Rodriguez scored twice in quick succession to complete Celta Vigo’s comeback, condemning the Hoops to a damaging 2-1 defeat.
Three matches, three defeats and zero points. Celtic have now left themselves with precious little room for error, and the fixtures still to come offer no guarantee of an immediate escape from their European nightmare.
Celtic facing an uphill battle after disastrous start
The problem for O’Neill is not simply that Celtic have lost their opening three matches. It is the manner in which their European campaign has unravelled, with defensive shortcomings and costly mistakes repeatedly undermining their efforts.
The 3-1 home defeat to Ferencváros was followed by a heavy 4-1 loss against Benfica. Thursday’s defeat to Celta Vigo then completed a miserable opening run that has left Celtic needing a significant improvement to revive their qualification hopes.
Under the Europa League’s league-phase format, the top eight teams qualify directly for the round of 16, while clubs finishing between ninth and 24th enter the knockout phase play-offs.
Celtic are now under enormous pressure to climb the standings, and every remaining fixture carries greater significance after their failure to collect a single point from the opening three games.
The difficulty is that their upcoming schedule includes several opponents capable of making life extremely uncomfortable for a side already struggling to deliver consistently in Europe.
Besiktas next as Celtic prepare for another major test
Celtic’s next Europa League assignment is a home meeting with Besiktas on November 5, and it represents another daunting challenge for O’Neill.
The Turkish side have already demonstrated their attacking threat, beating Marseille 4-1 before securing a 3-2 victory away to Hoffenheim. Those results underline the danger Celtic will face when the sides meet at Parkhead.
For Celtic, home advantage must count for something, but their performances against Ferencváros and Celta Vigo have offered little reassurance that they can automatically turn Parkhead into a fortress in Europe.
Another defeat would leave them four matches into the league phase without a point, making their route towards the top 24 even more difficult.
O’Neill will know that Celtic cannot afford to approach the encounter with the same defensive vulnerability that has characterised their European performances so far. They need to be more disciplined, more clinical in front of goal and far better at protecting a lead.
Anything less could leave their knockout-stage ambitions facing an even steeper climb.
Marseille and Union SG could make matters worse
Besiktas is not the only difficult opponent awaiting Celtic. Their remaining league-phase schedule also includes a home fixture against Marseille on January 21 and an away trip to Union SG on January 28.
Marseille will present another major examination of Celtic’s ability to compete against strong European opposition. The French side may have suffered a 4-1 defeat to Besiktas and lost 1-0 at home to Olympiacos, but those results do not make them an opponent Celtic can take lightly.
The Union SG trip could prove equally demanding, particularly with Celtic having to travel away from home for their final league-phase fixture.
The Belgian side began their campaign with a 3-0 victory over Viktoria Plzeň before drawing 1-1 with Real Sociedad, showing that they can produce results against challenging opposition.
Celtic will also have matches against Torreense and Omonia between their meeting with Besiktas and the closing stretch against Marseille and Union SG. Those fixtures offer opportunities to collect points, but the Hoops must first demonstrate that they can translate their domestic performances into European results.
With five league-phase matches remaining, the situation is serious, but qualification has not yet become mathematically impossible.
Martin O’Neill running out of room for error
Celtic’s domestic form has shown that O’Neill’s side are capable of producing impressive performances, including their emphatic 7-1 victory over Hearts shortly before the Celta Vigo match.
However, European football has exposed weaknesses that cannot be ignored. Celtic have struggled to defend consistently, and their inability to manage crucial moments has repeatedly cost them.
The challenge now is to stop the Europa League campaign from becoming a season-long disappointment. O’Neill needs his players to respond against Besiktas, because another defeat would pile even more pressure on the subsequent fixtures.
There is still time for Celtic to turn things around, but the margin for error has become extremely small. With Besiktas next, followed later by Marseille and Union SG, the Hoops face a demanding run of European football at precisely the moment they can least afford further mistakes.
After three defeats from three, Celtic must start collecting points immediately or risk watching their knockout-stage hopes slip away before the league phase reaches its conclusion.
Nafisa
