Will both sides score?
After two rounds of Europa League action, Ligue 1 side “Le Gym” already has its back against the wall. OGC is still waiting for its first points in the competition. Read our preview to find out whether the Celta Vigo vs. Nice tip could be worth it for the southern French team’s first win!
The home team from Estadio Balaídos also started the current edition of the Europa League with a defeat, but then earned their first points with a 3-1 win against PAOK in front of their own fans. Against OGC, the Iberians will once again rely on their home advantage.
Coach Claudio Giraldez’s men are unbeaten at home in six games across all competitions (1-5-0). However, the defense has been chronically vulnerable in home games.
The last home game without conceding a goal dates back to April this year! Since then, the hosts have played nine games on their own turf, conceding at least one goal in each of them. Against this backdrop, we believe that the Celta Vigo vs. Nice prediction is likely to be a goal fest for both sides.
Furthermore, we expect a home win. Nice has been winless in 14 Europa League games (0-3-11) since a 1-0 win against Hapoel Be’er Sheva in October 2020.
Vigo, on the other hand, has never lost a home game in the group stage of the Champions League, UEFA Cup, or Europa League (4-5-0)! Moreover, as mentioned, the visitors have been very weak in the current edition of the Europa League so far.
Just how harmless Nice are can be seen from the fact that OGC have the lowest expected goals value without penalties (0.67) and the lowest expected goals value in open play (0.24) of any team in the Europa League this season.
Celta Vigo – Nice Head-to-head comparison / H2H record
The seventh-placed team in La Liga last season and the visiting team of French coach Franck Haise are facing each other for the first time. Celta Vigo has also failed to win any of its four European games against French opponents (0-2-2).
Both home games ended 0-0 (against Marseille in 1999 and Lens in 2000 – both in the UEFA Cup). In contrast, Nice have lost all four of their away games in European competitions against Spanish teams – twice against Real Madrid (1957 and 1960) and once each against Barcelona (1973) and Espanyol Barcelona (1976).
Celta Vigo – Nice Tip
Last summer, OGC lost key defensive regulars such as center back Jean-Clair Todibo to West Ham and goalkeeper Marcin Bulka to NEOM SC in Saudi Arabia. This loss of personnel is evident in the numerous goals conceded.
In the Europa League, they suffered defeats in their first two games of the current season, and in Ligue 1, they are currently tenth and have room for improvement. However, the “Celestes” have no fewer defensive problems than last season’s fourth-placed team in Ligue 1.
At the same time, the hosts’ offense is reliable, which is why goals on both sides have been the norm recently. No fewer than the last ten competitive games of the Spaniards ended in this form!
Given this situation, the betting odds for both teams to score again in the match between Celta Vigo and Nice appear to be lucrative. This has been the case in the Spanish side’s last six home games on the national and international stage.
