Looking back: Up against a familiar face
VfB and Celtic face each other in a competitive fixture for the third time this Thursday. Despite a first-half goal from striker Kevin Kuranyi, the Cannstatt boys were beaten 3-1 in the first leg of the UEFA Cup last 16 in 2002/03, meaning a 3-2 victory in the return leg was not enough to prevent Celtic from progressing 5-4 on aggregate. Martin O’Neill’s side would go on to reach the final of the competition, only to lose 3-2 to José Mourinho’s Porto after extra time. Northern Irish head coach O’Neill, 73, is currently back in charge of the Bhoys.
Record against Scottish clubs: Room for improvement on the road
Stuttgart have won five, drawn two and lost five of their 12 meetings with Scottish opposition in Europe, scoring 16 goals and conceding just as many. They faced current Scottish Premiership leaders Heart of Midlothian in the first round of the 2000/01 UEFA Cup, drawing 3-3 on aggregate but progressing thanks to two away goals in Edinburgh. Their last-16 encounter with Celtic in the 2002/03 edition is their only knockout meeting with the Bhoys to date.
VfB have since faced only one club from Scotland – Celtic’s bitter city rivals, Rangers FC. The two teams were drawn in the same UEFA Champions League group on three occasions (in 2003/04, 2007/08 and 2009/10), with the home side winning the first four of those six meetings. In 2009/10, Celtic were held to a 1-1 draw in front of their own fans but triumphed 2-0 in Glasgow to register their first victory on Scottish soil at the sixth attempt.
Back in the knockouts
VfB are competing in the knockout rounds of a European competition for the first time since 2012/13, when they were beaten 5-1 on aggregate by Lazio in the last 16 of the UEFA Europa League.
A threat from dead balls: Celtic score plenty from set plays
Only FC Midtjylland (nine) have scored more goals from set pieces than Celtic (eight) in the Europa League this season, with four of the Bhoys’ last five goals in the competition coming from dead-ball situations (three from corners, one penalty).
