Celtic may have already faced two of their Europa League opponents so far this season – but little is known about top seeds Lazio.
While Neil Lennon’s men have squared off against Cluj in the Champions League and Rennes in a Glasgow friendly, the Hoops have never taken on the Serie A giants in a competitive fixture.
Time will tell how the one off clashes against Simone Inzaghi’s side go, but their recent European record suggests that they will at least be one of the two teams progressing from Group E.
Lazio have been about as regular a Europa League team as anyone else on the continent. This will be the seventh season in the last nine that they’ve participated in the group stage of Europe’s secondary competition.
The rather ominous statistic for Celtic is that they’ve qualified for the last 32 in each of the past six attempts. Lazio have topped their group of three occasions and finished second on the other three, taking an average of 11.5 points.
Lazio are prone to a Europa League loss though
However, recent history does show that they’re there to be got at on the road. The Eagles have lost six of their last nine away matches in the competition – with the likes of Zulte Waregem, Steaua Bucharest and Apollon Limassol all inflicting defeats on them in recent years.
That paints a prettier picture for Celtic who will be hoping they can take another big scalp this season following the home win over RB Leipzig last year. The Germans are of a similar standard to Lazio but they were beaten in Glasgow by a terrific Hoops display.
If we can target 4 points from both Cluj and Rennes and also pick up something at home to Lazio, then we should be in good shape to play European football after Christmas. And if we do make it through, recent history tells us it will be alongside Lazio.
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