Lazio v Celtic tips: Champions League betting preview & odds

A win in Rome would put them back in contention for a third-place finish and a Europa League knockout round spot.

Lazio, meanwhile, are hunting down qualification for the last 16 of the Champions League with their only defeat in the competition so far coming against Feyenoord.

Football betting sites have priced Lazio as the odds on favourites to win on Tuesday night with Celtic considered underdogs.

Toothless Celtic to struggle for attacking bite

Celtic have shipped eight goals in the two away matches they have played in the Champions League group stage this season.

They have also failed to find the back of the net in the competition away from home and it will be difficult for them to change this trend against Lazio on Tuesday.

While Lazio are struggling for consistent form between Serie A and the Champions League this season, they have remained defensively tight in games at the Stadio Olimpico.

Indeed, Maurizio Sarri’s team have kept a clean sheet in each of their last three home matches in all competitions.

Those clean sheets have also come against a high standard of opposition – Fiorentina, Feyenoord and Roma. Keeping toothless Celtic at arm’s length looks to be a job they are capable of if at their best.

On top of this, Celtic will be without the suspended Daizen Maeda and the injured Luis Palma, Liel Abada and Reo Hatate, robbing them of any sort of threat in the final third of the pitch.

David Turnbull has scored in each of his last four Scottish Premiership appearances, but the midfielder has struggled to find the back of the net from open play, instead converting three penalties.

Immobile to have opportunities against Hoops

Ciro Immobile is expected to lead the line for Lazio against Celtic on Tuesday with the 33-year-old the most obvious attacking focal point at the club.

Now into the twilight of his career, Immobile doesn’t carry the same goalscoring threat as he did a few seasons ago, but he will receive opportunities to find the back of the net against the Scottish champions. 

Celtic are yet to keep a clean sheet in the Champions League this season. In fact, only Royal Antwerp (14) have conceded more goals in the competition than the Glasgow side (12).

Antoine Griezmann and Alvaro Morata both filled their boots in Celtic’s last Champions League outing as Atletico Madrid scored six and Immobile could be in for a similar sort of night.

Immobile scored in his last game against Salernitana and is Lazio’s top scorer with five goals in all competitions this season. If he can get into good positions, his teammates will find him on Tuesday night.

Celtic’s red card record raises questions

The Champions League odds are always stacked against Celtic, but they haven’t helped themselves after playing three of their four group stage matches short-handed through ill-discipline.

No team has received more red cards in this season’s Champions League than the Scottish champions, who have had three players sent off in just four matches.

Maeda is suspended for Tuesday’s match at the Stadio Olimpico after seeing red against Atletico Madrid while Odin Holm and Gustav Lagerbielke are not long back from bans.

Celtic need all 11 players on the pitch for the full 90 minutes if they are to go toe-to-toe with Lazio, but their recent track record means there is no guarantee of this.

Lazio will likely dominate possession against the visitors to the Italian capital and this will require Celtic to remain disciplined as the match progresses.

However, Celtic could grow increasingly desperate if they still need a goal to claim an important win and keep their chances of finishing third alive. 

This could result in some desperate challenges as they attempt to disrupt Lazio on the ball. Therefore we’ll take the odds on a sending off, with most betting sites offering around 4/1. 

Graham Ruthven is a football writer and podcaster who has worked for the Guardian, New York Times, Eurosport, Optus Sport and many others. He boasts an extensive knowledge of football around the world and has been a betting tipster for a number of years.