Celtic have lost all four previous away matches against Benfica, conceding nine and scoring just one, this scored by Georgios Samaras in 2012. Overall, the Hoops have lost all four visits to Portugal since a famous 1-0 win over Boavista booked their place in Seville in 2003.
On the flip side, Benfica have never lost any of their eight home matches against Scottish sides, including hammering Hearts 6-1 in August. So, as two former European champions prepare to go head-to-head in the Europa League, check out our preview, predictions, team news and TV guide.
Benfica vs Celtic match info
- Date: Thursday 15 October 2026
- Kick off times: 8pm (local & BST) and 3pm (ET)
- Competition: UEFA Europa League league phase matchday 2
- Venue: Estádio da Luz - Lisbon, Portugal.
- How to watch: TNT Sports 3 (UK & Ireland) and CBS Sports Network (USA)
How can I watch Benfica vs Celtic?
Country | Broadcaster(s) |
|---|---|
UK & Ireland | TNT Sports 3 and HBO Max |
USA | CBS Sports Network and Paramount+ |
Portugal | Sport TV5 |
Canada and New Zealand | DAZN |
Africa | SuperSport MaXimo 1 |
Arab world and selected Asian nations | beIN Sports |
South and Central America | ESPN |
France | Canal+ Live 9 |
Mexico | Claro Sports |
Netherlands | Ziggo Sport 5 |
Benfica vs Celtic match preview
This European campaign has been nothing short of disastrous for Celtic already, desperately scrambling around for points, even at this early stage. We don't need to relitigate the disaster in Linz in the Champions League play-offs, but for the Celts to also look uncompetitive even at Europa League level is pretty galling.
On matchday one, Martin O'Neill's team were easily swatted aside 3-1 by Ferencváros. Mika Bauer equalised on the cusp of half time, only for the Hungarian champions to restore their lead straight away, with former Celt Daniel Arzini then clinching the points soon after the interval.
Sunday's 2-0 victory over Motherwell, in which Camilo Durán and Benjamin Nygren were on target at Fir Park, did little to dampen the disquiet that surrounds Celtic right now. In this competition, Celta Vigo, Beşiktaş and Olympique de Marseille will also visit Glasgow, with away trips to Torreense, Omonia and Royale Union Saint-Gilloise on the schedule too.
The Hoops will need around ten points to reach the knockout phase and, the way they are playing right now, it is tough to see where those are going to come from. Thus, the 3,405 fans making the pilgrimage to Lisbon will be doing so more in hope than expectation.
Benfica meantime are Champions League regulars, this only the second time since 2009 they have failed to qualify for Europe's top-tier tournament. The Eagles, remarkably, did not lose a single game in last season's Primeira Liga, but 11 draws meant that they amazingly finished third.
After second-tier Torreense pulled off the shock of all shocks, defeating Sporting CP in the Taça de Portugal Final, Benfica were forced to come through three rounds of qualifying just to get into the Europa League. Nevertheless, Marco Silva's side did just that with a minimum of fuss, scoring 19 goals across matches against St. Gallen, Heart of Midlothian and then AGF.
To commence the league phase, Benfica won a heavyweight battle at San Siro; Dodi Lukébakio and Jakub Kamiński the scorers in a 2-0 victory over A.C. Milan. The Eagles are being touted as among the favourites to win the Europa League this season, which would be their first European triumph since 1962, losing all eight finals since the infamous Béla Guttmann curse. Thus, a home win seems very likely at Estádio da Luz.
Benfica team news
In a blow for Marco Silva, Jakub Kamiński, who scored at San Siro on matchday one, is sidelined due to an adductor injury picked up on international duty. Nevertheless, Benfica still boast plenty of attacking talent.
Andreas Schjelderup and Dodi Lukébakio will get the nod out wide, supporting centre-forward Vangelis Pavlidis, who has already scored 14 goals this season, including four when St. Gallen visited during qualifying.
Celtic team news
After making his long-awaited return on Sunday, Jota cannot feature against his former side, as he is not in the UEFA squad, while Joël van den Berg, Landon Emenalo and Shim Mheuka are not either. In better news, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain can feature, having now served his three-match European ban.
There's still no Alistair Johnston, so Colby Donovan will keep his place at right-back, while Cameron Carter-Vickers also remains sidelined in another huge blow.
Predicted Line-ups
- Benfica predicted lineup: Trubin; Bah, Araújo, Circati, Dahl; Palhinha, Barreiro, Lukébakio, Rafa Silva, Schjelderup; Pavlidis.
- Celtic predicted lineup: Sinisalo; Donovan, Trusty, Scales, Tierney; McGregor, Baur, Nygren;
Durán, Yang Hyun-jun, Høgh.
- Score prediction: Benfica 3-0 Celtic.
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