Celtic’s recent European journey may have come to an abrupt end once again, but the Scottish champions at least ended on a positive note on Thursday night following their first win on German soil against Stuttgart.
Luke McCowan’s goal in the first minute sparked early hopes of a surprise comeback after last week’s 4-1 defeat, but it was a contained night thereafter as the Hoops battled for a prestigious Europa League clean sheet.
Although the result is not all that important, Martin O’Neill admitted he was given “food for thought” ahead of that crucial derby game, and his performance could mean everything ahead of Sunday’s trip to Ibrox.
It has to be said that the players on the outside have made the most of their opportunities, with the likes of Bilijami Sinisalo and Dane Murray fulfilling their hopes of starting this weekend.
Stuttgart vs Celtic – match statistics | ||
|---|---|---|
stuttgart | status | celtic |
66% | Possession | 34% |
1.81 | xG | 0.30 |
4 | big chance | 1 |
twenty four | shot | 3 |
1 | keep | 6 |
13 | corner | 7 |
6 | foul | 13 |
600 | path | 312 |
13 | free kick | 6 |
0 | yellow | 1 |
Speaking of Rangers’ fixtures, it will be yet another matchday without both Michel-Ange Balikwisha and Joel Mvuka involved, continuing the duo’s tough time in Scottish football.
Why Balikwisha and Mvuka won’t play again this season
Even in a case of quantity over quality, O’Neill now has significant depth at his disposal and the Glasgow side can fight for a 1-0 win despite making eight changes on Thursday night.
The size of Celtic’s squad can be seen with the likes of Jota, Alistair Johnstone, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Callum Osmund all still sidelined through injury, and despite making so many changes there are still players who haven’t been involved at all.
Julian Araujo, who joined in January, was given a rest, but Benjamin Arthur, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Balikwisha and Mvuka were all left out of the Europa League squad.
Arthur and Oxlade-Chamberlain, who featured against Hibernian at the weekend, are firmly in contention to feature on Sunday, but it would be surprising just to see Balikwisha or Mvuka in the matchday squad, such is their low status.
The Democratic Republic of Congo international, who signed for Celtic in the summer for £5 million, has not featured in the Premiership since October, with his only appearance in all competitions in 2026 being in the Scottish Cup against Auchinleck-Talbot.
Balikwisha, who is seen as a winger by Brendan Rodgers but a number 10 by O’Neill, is currently in limbo and his only escape would be a quick exit in the summer.
As for Mvuka, the 23-year-old has made no appearances since making his 45-minute debut against Dundee and it appears the Hoops manager has already made enough of a player who at one point looked set to sign a permanent £3m deal.
Indeed, they may not be the only ones in exile in the midst of such a tight title race, but it’s highly unlikely we’ll see the pair in action again this season.
Celtic star in danger of becoming another Balikwisha or Mvuka
While Thursday’s performance gave reason for optimism, even though it fell short of a high-profile return, it was the same old faces that were cause for concern, particularly Reo Hatate and Daizen Maeda.
Celtic’s four-passer should not be far behind Rangers’ starting XI.
Celtic’s win over Stuttgart gave Martin O’Neill food for thought ahead of the weekend.
In Hatate’s case, the 28-year-old was brighter than usual before his early withdrawal, but he still fell short of his previous high standards as he didn’t win a single tackle or duel all night.
However, Maeda’s performance was perhaps even more worrying, as the Japanese speedster was very inconsistent with his touch on the ball, losing the ball 11 times in just 24 touches, while his passing accuracy was a dismal 40%.
Any shortcomings were overlooked as he scored an astonishing 33 goals in all competitions last season, but tight control has never been the winger’s strong suit.
However, despite all his efforts, those slots were frustratingly depleted, with the former Yokohama man unable to get a shot off when he penetrated into the opposition box from the right, and unable to capitalize on late chances.
While his pace and acceleration make him useful off the ball, he remains a nightmare for defenders, but Maeda offers little as a final product at this point.
In fact, the 28-year-old has only scored once this year and was in a quiet celebration after scoring in a 4-0 win over Dundee United in mid-January.
With Sebastian Tunekuti usurping him on the left and Hyun-Jung Yang taking on a role on the right, Maeda’s importance has certainly begun to wane, as he has seemingly been unable to shake off his summer sending-off failure all season.
As with Hatate, Mvuka and Balikwisha, this exit seems inevitable as O’Neill needs to trust players who are likely to stay long-term.
Maeda may not be as ostracized as other forwards, but he is proving to be an unreliable attacking player for the Hoops boss.
Celtic’s four-passer should not be far behind Rangers’ starting XI.
Celtic’s win over Stuttgart gave Martin O’Neill food for thought ahead of the weekend.
