Benfica vs Celtic Prediction, H2H Stats & Statistical Bets 15 October 2026
🔊 Celtic have failed to pick up a single point in four visits to Lisbon. This trip comes at a difficult moment. Martin O'Neill's side lost at home to Ferencváros in the opening round (1-3) and sit 28th out of 36. Benfica, by contrast, started with a win at San Siro against Milan (2-0).
Head-to-Head
📊 All eight official meetings between these two sides share one thing in common: the home team has never lost. The clubs first met in the second round of the 1969/70 European Cup. Each won at home by a three-goal margin, and with the tie level at 3-3 on aggregate, the outcome was decided by the drawing of lots - and the coin came up Celtic. Thirty-seven years later, in a Champions League group stage, history repeated itself almost exactly. A year after that, the sides met again, and this time the home team won both legs by the minimum margin. The most recent meeting took place in Lisbon in November 2012, where Benfica beat Celtic 2-1. Celtic's only goal was scored by Georgios Samaras, while defender Ezequiel Garay settled the tie on 71 minutes.
Celtic: Setback Against LASK and O’Neill’s 250th Victory
Benfica began their European autumn with something the club had never managed before. In Milan, Marco Silva's side beat an Italian opponent in official competition for the first time, with goals from wingers Dodi Lukebakio and Jakub Kaminski. Georgiy Sudakov struck the post when the margin was just one goal. The win was their eighth in a row across all competitions. Silva himself described the evening as wonderful, but not perfect.
Four days later the run ended in the biggest league match of the season. At the Dragão, defender Clément Lenglet picked up two yellow cards inside ten minutes, leaving Benfica down to ten men before half-time. Porto won by two goals, and the Lisbon side lost a league match for the first time in 603 days. After the international break, Benfica got past Vitória Guimarães and sit second with 19 points. Porto have won all eight league rounds and moved five points clear.
Match Results: Benfica Lisbon
Celtic Team Overview
Celtic's season has been defined by leading their league while enduring a series of difficult evenings against stronger opposition. In the Champions League play-offs, they dealt with Austrian side LASK at home and built a three-goal advantage. In the second leg, captain Callum McGregor even opened the scoring. The Austrians then scored five, the last in extra time, and Celtic dropped into the Europa League. September brought three consecutive defeats. Rangers beat them twice, in the League Cup and in the league. In between those two derbies, Hungarian side Ferencváros won at Celtic Park.
After the second derby, O'Neil said he would think about his future, then during the international break decided to stay. The team's first match after that decision came on 11 October at Motherwell. Camilo Durán opened the scoring in the ninth minute with a low shot from outside the box. Benjamin Nygren doubled the lead after a counter-attack. By the club's count, the win was O'Neil's 250th in charge. The three points also returned Celtic to the top of the table: Celtic on 21 points, Rangers on 19.
Match Results: Celtic
Latest news
Benfica Lisbon
❓ Benfica's midfield remains without Enzo Barrenechea. The Argentine injured the meniscus in his left knee on 19 September and underwent surgery. Ahead of the match against Vitória, Marco Silva named Jakub Kamiński among the absentees. Young defender Daniel Banjaqui missed that game with muscular discomfort and may not be fit in time for the Celtic match. Aleksandar Bah was replaced by Georgiy Sudakov in the second half against Vitória. According to Silva, the Dane was feeling fatigue in his thigh but has no injury concerns. Sudakov himself twisted his ankle on international duty during the break, but came on and scored the second goal. Lenglet has already served his suspension from the red card at Dragão. A separate question is rotation. In Milan, Silva started Anatoliy Trubin in goal and gave several squad players a run-out. Top scorer Vangelis Pavlidis came on only in the 80th minute that day. In the Europa League, the Greek has six goals in six matches including the qualifying rounds.
Celtic
❓ After the Motherwell match, O'Neil was not certain that Cameron Carter-Vickers would be fit in time for the Benfica game. The medical staff felt Thursday might be too soon for the defender. He missed that match with a strain, and Dane Murray partnered Liam Scales in his absence. Jota, a Benfica academy product, returned to the pitch at Motherwell. The winger had spent 18 months recovering from a cruciate ligament injury, but he has not been included in the Europa League squad. O'Neil admitted the club are a little disappointed by that. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, however, served his suspension in the first round and is available for selection.
Predicted Lineups
📋 Predicted starting XI - Benfica: Trubin - Bah, Tomas Araujo, Lenglet, Dahl - Palhinha, Aursnes - Lukebakio, Sudakov, Prestianni - Pavlidis.
📋 Predicted starting XI - Celtic: Sinisalo - Donovan, Murray, Scales, Tierney - McGregor, Baur - Tounekti, Nygren, Duran - Hogh.
⚽️ Goals Prediction
Benfica have scored at least two goals in 13 consecutive home matches. This season at the Estádio da Luz, Swiss side St Gallen conceded five and Hearts of Edinburgh conceded six. On Sunday, Vitória left Lisbon empty-handed, losing 0-2. Celtic, meanwhile, have problems at the back: they conceded 12 goals across their last four defeats. We expect the hosts to score at least two. The bet is Benfica Team Total - Over 1.5.
🚩 Corners Prediction
More than eight corners were taken in 15 of Benfica's last 16 home matches. Across their last 10 official matches, the Portuguese side have won 68 corners to their opponents' 30. Celtic's numbers are even higher: 86 corners over the same period against 43 for their opponents. Even in their defeat to Ferencváros, the Scottish side earned 11 corners to three. In their last seven away matches, Celtic had more than nine corners in six of them. We expect both teams combined to clear eight corners in Lisbon as well. The bet is Total Corners - Over 8.5.
🟨 Yellow Cards Prediction
Celtic have received more than two yellow cards in just one of their last 10 official matches - a League Cup quarter-final at Ibrox. Over that run, O'Neil's players have collected 13 bookings to their opponents' 22. Against Ferencváros at home, the Scottish side went through the match without a single yellow card. In this fixture, cards look more likely to fall on the home side. Benfica have picked up 20 yellows across the same 10 matches, including five in Milan. We do not expect Celtic to receive more than two bookings. The bet is Celtic Yellow Cards Team Total - Under 2.5.
📌 Editorial Prediction
Benfica have scored in 28 consecutive matches. So the real question of the evening is whether Celtic can respond. The Scottish side have scored in 20 of their last 22 matches. Away from home, they have failed to score just once in 10 games - at Ibrox in the League Cup, where they lost to Rangers (0:3). Benfica's defence, meanwhile, is not as reliable as their attack. The Portuguese have conceded in 5 of their last 10 matches, including both games against Danish side Aarhus. The hosts remain favourites, but we expect the Scottish side to score at least once. The bet is Both Teams to Score - Yes. Predicted score: 2:1.
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Betting Tips: Benfica Lisbon - Celtic
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