Preview: Celta Vigo vs Lyon – prediction, team news, lineups

For their inaugural European encounter, Celta Vigo are set to host Lyon at Balaidos in Galicia, Spain, on Thursday, marking the first leg of their Europa League last-16 clash.

The Spanish side secured their progression by clinching two narrow one-goal wins against PAOK in the playoff round, whereas Lyon bypassed the playoffs entirely, securing a direct spot in the last 16 after topping their League Phase group.

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Match preview

Celta Vigo returns to the Europa League’s round of 16 for the first time since the 2016-17 season, achieving this feat through two closely contested wins over a formidable and organized Greek opponent.

Claudio Giraldez’s squad has seen four of their last five competitive fixtures settled by just a single goal, with Celta Vigo emerging victorious in three of those instances.

Heading into this match, they boast an unbeaten streak in their last four Europa League games, having conceded points only once during this period (a 1-1 stalemate against Red Star Belgrade).

Simultaneously, Celta has celebrated victory in four of their five home matches in this competition; however, it’s worth noting that three of their four competitive losses in 2026 have also occurred at Balaidos.

Thursday’s fixture represents their first knockout stage appearance in this tournament since their run to the 2016-17 Europa League semi-finals, where their sole two knockout stage defeats of that campaign happened on home turf.

Os Celestes maintain a perfect record against French teams in the Europa League, having secured 2-1 home victories over both Lille and Nice during this season’s League Phase.

Olympique Lyonnais re-enter European competition this week after an almost impeccable League Phase, though their recent domestic performances have been somewhat inconsistent.

While Paulo Fonseca’s squad triumphed in seven of their eight games in the tournament’s prior stage, they approach Thursday’s encounter having failed to secure a win in their last four competitive matches.

This marks their second consecutive progression to this particular stage of the Europa League; notably, the team has been knocked out only once in their past five round-of-16 appearances, that sole instance being against CSKA Moscow in 2018.

Lyon has remained unbeaten in normal time across their last six away Europa League knockout matches; their only defeat came last season in a poignant extra-time quarter-final second leg against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

This season, their sole loss in the competition occurred in Spain against Real Betis in November (2-0), yet they boast an undefeated record in Europa League knockout ties against La Liga opposition.

Celta Vigo Europa League form:

Celta Vigo form (all competitions):

Lyon Europa League form:

Lyon form (all competitions):

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Team News

Celta Vigo appears to be in good health for this upcoming match, with only one reported injury concern: Pablo Duran Fernandez is grappling with a knee ligament issue, making his participation on Thursday questionable.

Williot Swedberg contributed two of the three goals in their knockout playoff encounter, notably netting the decisive goal in the second leg played at home, whereas Ionut Radu maintained a clean sheet without needing to make any saves.

For Lyon, a number of players are currently unavailable: Afonso Moreira and Pavel Sulc are nursing hamstring strains, Ainsley Maitland-Niles is experiencing adductor discomfort, Malick Fofana is recuperating from an ankle injury, Ruben Kluivert is managing a muscle problem, and Ernest Nuamah faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines due to a cruciate ligament injury.

In their preceding 4-2 Europa League victory against PAOK, Remi Stephane Himbert, Khalis Merah, Adam Karabec, and Alejandro Gomes Rodriguez all found the back of the net; the latter, however, was subsequently loaned out to Ligue 2 club Annecy in early February.

Celta Vigo possible starting lineup:

Radu; Rodriguez, Starfelt, Alonso, Carreira; Vecino; Aspas, Moriba; Rueda, Iglesias, Swedberg

Lyon possible starting lineup:

Greif; Mata, Niakhate, Hateboer; Tagliafico, Tessmann, Nartey, Abner; Karabec, Tolisso; Yaremchuk

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We say: Celta Vigo 0-0 Lyon

Given both teams’ patient approach and strong defensive organization, we expect this initial encounter to unfold as a cautious, probing contest.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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