Celtic vs. Milan 10/22/20 UEFA Europa League Soccer Pick, Odds, and Prediction

Celtic is welcoming Milan to Celtic Park in round 1 in the UEFA Europa League.

After 9 wins in a row, Celtic lost the Old Firm derby against Rangers this past weekend. Celtic has had 56% of ball possession in that game, 0 shots on goal, 1 corner kick, 1 big chance created, and 78% of the correct passes. Celtic hasn’t had a good game, especially in the attacking end, and they ended up losing this match 0-2. Celtic is in 2nd place in the Premiership standings with 25 points at the moment. Celtic was originally playing in the Champions League qualifications, but they lost to Ferencvarosi, and thanks to that loss, Celtic went to the Europa League qualifications. Johnston and Forrest are injured, while Elhamed, Christie, and Bitton are all in quarantine because of the Coronavirus. Ajeti is the leading goalscorer for Celtic with 4 goals, while Edouard added 4 goals. Alongside Rangers, Celtic is the best team in Scotland, and nobody is even close to them, but because they are so dominant in the Scottish Premiership, Celtic can’t take a step further in the European competitions. This is a solid group in the Europa League, but Celtic will need to play really well to advance past the group stage.

Milan is the best team in Serie A at the moment, and they haven’t lost any of their last 24 games while winning their last 13 games. The latest win for Milan came against Inter in the Serie A derby this past weekend. Milan has had 45% of ball possession in that game, 4 shots on goal, 5 corner kicks, 4 big chances created, and 76% of accurate passes. Milan has scored 2 quick goals in the first half, in the 13th and the 16th minute, while Inter scored their goal in the 29th minute. We haven’t seen any goals in the second half, and Milan has won this match 1-2. With 12 points, 9 scored goals, and only 1 conceded a goal after the first 4 games, Milan is at the top of Serie A standings. Ibrahimovic is the leading goalscorer for Milan with 4 goals. Musacchio, Calhanoglu, and Rebic are injured, while Gabbia is in quarantine. Milan has opted out of this competition last season because they were rebuilding the team, and it took them a while to get to the right path, and they are still riding that positive wave from the last season. Milan is playing fantastic soccer dating back to last season, and not only they became a serious competitor to win Serie A, but also to win the Europa League. Once those few injured players return, Milan will be even stronger, and they will have more depth to compete in two different competitions.

Celtic and Milan have met before, and Milan has won 5 of their 8 games, while Celtic won only 1 game. The quality, the depth, the form, the morale, everything is on Milan’s side in this matchup, and they are coming into this game as a slight favorite. I’m taking Milan while they are still red hot.