Freiburg
- Julian Schuster has done a fantastic job to get the club to this stage with a disciplined, proactive pressing game and an ability to change formation and strategy when needed.
- Freiburg have balanced their Bundesliga campaign with the European campaign well, currently sitting in 8th place in Germany’s top flight.
- Their home form in Europe has been good, particularly last month when they hammered Genk 5-1 in the second leg of the last 16.
- Freiburg are likely to set up in a 4-2-3-1 and press Celta high up the pitch, looking to win the ball back in wide areas where they will look to release their forwards with a counter-attack at pace.
- Their set-piece plays have been a weapon in this competition and should be an opportunity to hurt Celta on Thursday.
Celta
- Celta are in much better form, going into Thursday’s game unbeaten in their last five matches in all competitions.
- Celta won 3-2 at Valencia at the weekend and beat Lyon 2-0 away in the Europa League last 16.
- Celta are in top six in the Spanish top flight and are making a strong push for European qualification.
- Celta are built around a flexible back three formation, with ball retention, width from their wing-backs and fluidity in central midfield which allow them to play through the center and break through lines.
- They can switch between a 3-4-3 and a 4-3-3 and are incredibly dangerous from wide areas.
- Celta are playing with confidence right now and Claudio Giráldez has been rewarded for his work with a contract extension.
Head-to-Head
This is the first-ever competitive encounter between Freiburg and Celta de Vigo but it is a quarter-final debut in the 2025-26 UEFA Europa League for the Bundesliga side.
Key Players
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Players to watch:
- Williot Swedberg has been an incredible revelation for Celta this season, contributing decisive goals and assists, including in the 2-0 away win at Lyon in Europe.
- Igor Matanović has emerged as Freiburg’s main centre-forward, delivering crucial goals in the knockout stages of the competition, while Vincenzo Grifo has been Freiburg’s talisman, leading the club’s scoring charts, providing creative spark and scoring in the 5-1 thrashing of Genk.
Betting Insights
- Draw at 3.25 makes more sense for this first-leg.
- BTTS - Yes is my selection at 1.77, while I will take a Freiburg 1-0 correct score.
- Windy and rainy conditions in Freiburg should make it a tough game for Celta to control the ball and the home side will be physical.
Prediction
- Both Freiburg and Celta are in good attacking form and should see plenty of chances in an end-to-end game.
- Freiburg are a compact, tough team to break down and set-piece situations should favour them with Grifo the chief deliverer.
- Celta are defensively organised and can be tough to break down too, but I give the hosts a slight edge in this contest and a single goal will be enough to take into the second-leg.
