It was a bittersweet night for VfB Stuttgart on Thursday, as they lost 1-0 at home to Celtic but progressed to the UEFA Europa League last 16. - © IMAGO/Hendrik Hamelau

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VfB Stuttgart reach UEFA Europa League last 16 despite Celtic defeat

26.02.2026

VfB Stuttgart rubberstamped their place in the UEFA Europa League round of 16 thanks to a 4-2 aggregate victory over Celtic, even if they lost the second leg of their knockout round play-off tie 1-0 on Thursday.

Stuttgart 0-1 Celtic (4-2 agg)
Goals: 0-1 McCowan 1’

Sebastian Hoeneß’s men were perhaps guilty of complacency at kick-off, holding a 4-1 advantage from the first leg, as some sloppy defending let in Luke McCowan to open the scoring with just 30 seconds on the clock.

VfB soon rallied though, with Jamie Leweling and Badredine Bouanani dangerous at the other end of the pitch, albeit without ever seriously threatening to equalise before half-time.

Chris Führich and Deniz Undav both had goals disallowed for offside in the second half as the hosts tried to avoid defeat on the night, but despite their best efforts they were unable to find the target. It ultimately was of little consequence though, as the damage had been done in the first leg, sending VfB through 4-2 on aggregate.

As it happened!

0 - 1

(0 - 1)

Stuttgart

FINAL

Celtic

Europa League
Knockout play-off, second leg Knockout play-off, second leg MHP Arena

Full-time: Stuttgart 0-1 Celtic (4-2 on aggregate)

Stuttgart have lost on the night, but they are through to the round of 16 all the same, and that is what matters. Celtic never really looked like making the tie interesting after opening the scoring early on, and in truth, Stuttgart should have won comfortably.

Full-time

90'

Added time

There will be five additional minutes.

90'

Celtic almost breath life into the tie

Iheanacho and Tounekti counter with the latter finding space in the box to shoot, but Nübel just about holds on.

87'

Führich's shot saved

Stiller finds Führich with a stunning ball in behind, but once again Sinisalo is there to make a good stop.

Stuttgart denied twice by the offside flag

Both Führich and Undav have now had goals chalked off tonight due to offside.

85'

Substitution

Bilal El Khannouss

Badredine Bouanani

82'

Hendriks can't squeeze his effort home

Another chance for Stuttgart as this time it is Hendriks who has his shot from the left saved by Sinisalo.

81'

Undav denied

Vagnoman finds Undav with a low cross right in front of the goal, but somehow his shot is blocked by a combination of goalkeeper and defender.

79'

Maeda almost has a chance

But the Japanese international is denied by a superb recovery challenge from Mittelstädt in the box.

78'

Substitution

Kelechi Iheanacho

Reo Hatate

78'

Another goal disallowed

After suffering a knock, Demirović is sent back onto the pitch, and he is immediately fed in down the left. He tries to work himself some space in the box before the ball falls to Undav, who fires home emphatically. However, after a VAR check, Demirović is shown to be offside when receiving the initial pass.

74'

Close

Vagnoman stands up a cross to the backpost that both Undav and Demirović challenge for. The ball then drops to Stiller, but he, too, is denied before Mittelstädt also has a shot blocked.

72'

Substitution

Ramon Hendriks

Luca Jaquez

72'

A decent effort

Führich dips inside from the left once again, fakes a couple of times and then shoots from the edge of the box, but his effort is whipped narrowly wide.

68'

Substitution

Sebastian Tounekti

Luke McCowan

68'

Substitution

Benjamin Nygren

Hyunjun Yang

68'

Führich denied by the offside flag

Führich suddenly finds himself in space on the left, and he does wonderfully to beat his man in the box and fire into the far corner. However, the flag is up, and the goal won't count.

66'

Undav fires over

Undav is found on the edge of the box, and he lets fly, but his effort is deflected over.

65'

Bouanani tests Sinisalo

The Algerian dips inside from the right and hammers a shot towards goal with his left that Sinisalo has to tip behind.

64'

Substitution

Angelo Stiller

Chema Andrés

64'

Substitution

Ermedin Demirović

Tiago Tomás

60'

Maeda showing his threat

The speedy forward bursts onto a bouncing pass and works himself space to shoot. The shot is well stopped by Nübel, but the goal wouldn't have counted anyway as Maeda is adjudged to have handled the ball.

56'

Substitution

Anthony Ralston

Colby Donovan

55'

Substitution

Tomáš Čvančara

Junior Adamu

55'

Not far away

A ball is chipped over the top to Tomás, but he can only hammer his shot wide from a good position.

53'

Dangerous

A good cross from the right is just about held by Nübel under pressure from a couple of Celtic attackers.

52'

Hatate volleys over

A Celtic cross is cleared only as far as Hatate, but his volleyed effort is wayward.

46'

And Stuttgart are turning up the pressure immediately

Führich gets to the byline and pulls back a cross towards Bouanani. His shot is narrowly deflected behind. From the resulting corner, the hosts have a couple more attempts, but both efforts are charged down.

46'

Back underway

The ball is moving once more in Stuttgart.

46'

Substitution

Chris Führich

Jamie Leweling

Kick-off!

Half-time: Stuttgart 0-1 Celtic (aggregate 4-2)

This tie isn't over yet. That early Celtic goal has given the visitors a bit of belief, even if they haven't created a lot since the opener. At the other end, Stuttgart have got into good positions, but failed to turn any of the promising opportunities into real chances. For now, though, the hosts remain in a strong position.

Half-time

45'

Yellow card

Colby Donovan

44'

Tomás denied

Vagnoman is fed in on the right, and his low cross reaches Tomás in the centre, but both of his efforts are blocked in front of goal.

40'

Celtic's defence holding firm

Stuttgart are getting the ball into the box on a fairly regular basis, but they are yet to really trouble the Celtic goal.

34'

Magic from Leweling

The winger dummies a pass to his feet and spins his man on the touchline. He then breaks into the box, but once more, the final pass is lacking.

31'

The final ball is missing

Stuttgart have got into good positions a few times tonight, but they are yet to make any real use of the opportunities. This time, it is Leweling who can't find a teammate from a promising position.

28'

Karazor fires over

The Stuttgart captain finds himself in space on the edge of the box, but his shot is wayward.

Stuttgart on top

After that shock start, the hosts have gained control and look dangerous when they get forward. Leweling is causing all sorts of problems on the left.

23'

Another opportunity

Mittelstädt sends a dipping cross to the backpost where Bouanani is waiting, but the Algerian sees the ball late and can only fire over the bar from a good position inside the box.

20'

Almost

Undav is fed in behind with a nice ball over the top, and he flicks the ball over to Leweling, but the winger is crowded out before he can shoot.

19'

Stuttgart growing into the game

After that shaky start, the hosts are starting to cause Celtic a few problems. A dangerous cross from Tomás almost leads to an opening.

16'

Bouanani has a pop

The Algerian dips inside and tests Sinisalo with a good effort that the keeper tips behind for a corner.

12'

Leweling threatens again

This time, the winger has space on the left, and he bursts into the box before firing in a low shot that is gathered by Sinisalo.

11'

First half-chance for the hosts

Bouanani spins one way and then the other before sending a delightful cross to the backpost to Leweling, but he can't connect cleanly from a decent position.

More danger

Adamu sends in a dangerous cross that reaches Maeda in the centre, but he can't connect cleanly under pressure and Stuttgart survive.

Celtic have the lead after 30 seconds!

Exactly the start the visitors were looking for. Adamu receives the ball on the edge of the box and plays it through to McCowan, who strokes home into the far corner with his left foot. Is the comeback on? It is now 4-2 on aggregate.

Luke McCowan

GOAL!

0:1

We're underway

The ball is moving in Stuttgart.

Kick-off!

Players on the pitch

Not long now until we get underway

Chema starts

The Spaniard retains his place after starting against Heidenheim at the weekend - he'll play alongside captain Karazor in a midfield double pivot.

Red-hot scoring form

No team has netted more than Stuttgart's 19 goals in this season's competition.

More on that Stuttgart team

Hoeneß makes seven changes to the team that drew 3-3 against Heidenheim at the weekend. Vagnoman, Jeltsch and Jaquez come into defence while Karazor replaces Stiller in midfield. There's also change in attack with El Khannouss, Führich and Demirović dropping to the bench in place of Bouanani, Leweling and Undav.

More on that Celtic team

O'Neill makes eight changes with Sinisalo, Adamu, Donovan, Saracchi, McCowan, Hatate, Maeda and Murray starting.

Stuttgart line-up

Nübel - Vagnoman, Jeltsch, Jaquez, Mittelstädt - Karazor, Andrés - Bouanani, Tomás, Leweling - Undav

Stuttgart subs

Bredlow, Hellstern, Al-Dakhil, Hendriks, Stiller, Demirović, Führich, El Khannouss, Assignon, Nartey, Ćatović

Celtic line-up

Sinisalo - Donovan, Murray, Trusty, Saracchi - McGregor, Hatate, Yang - McCowan, Maeda, Adamu

Celtic subs

Schmeichel, Scales, Nygren, Čvančara, Iheanacho, Tounekti, Bernardo, Forrest, McArdle, Hatton, Ralston, Tierney

Calm before the storm

The stage is set for this evening's UEFA Europa League clash between Stuttgart and Celtic as Hoeneß's charges look to secure their place in the next round.

Finn Jeltsch on Thursday's clash

"We’ve put ourselves in a good position, but it doesn’t guarantee our progression. We’ll have to work hard in the second leg too and approach the game as if it were still 0-0 on aggregate. I’m sure we’ll show the right mentality as a team once again."

3:51

Watch: Jamie Leweling's best moments

Hoeneß calls for full commitment

“We want to approach the match in the best possible way and win – that’s the clear and safest path to reaching the next round. We need to be fully committed and play with conviction in our stadium from the very first minute.”

1:04

Watch: Stuttgart's top 5 goals of the season so far

Stiller boost

Hoeneß confirmed on Wednesday that the midfield general trained without any issues and will be available for the second leg.

Sebastian Hoeneß on facing Celtic

"We’re convinced we can progress to the next round, but we still have to give our all for 90 minutes. We won’t underestimate Celtic and want to win the second leg too.”

Early Stuttgart team news

There were concerns that Stuttgart would be without key midfielder Angelo Stiller after he was forced off in Heidenheim with a knee problem. There was relief on Tuesday though that the injury was found to be not as bad as feared, and he has a chance of recovering in time for the second leg - although Diehl (groin), Jovanović (back) and Zagadou (thigh) remain on the injury list, while Chabot is suspended.

Early Celtic team news

There were no fresh injury concerns for Celtic after the weekend, but Cameron Carter-Vickers, Alistair Johnson and Jota remain key players out with long-term issues.

Celtic setback

A 2-1 defeat at home to Hibs on Sunday, with Auston Trusty getting a red card, saw Celtic slip six points behind Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts in third, albeit with a game in hand.

2:03

Watch: Heidenheim 3-3 VfB Stuttgart

Stuttgart faced a real battle at basement club Heidenheim on Sunday, but a late Denis Undav strike earned them a point.

Celtic's European struggles

The last time the Bhoys made it through a knockout tie in a European competition proper was in 2004, when they reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup. They also have a poor record against German opposition, having won only five of their 33 meetings with Bundesliga sides and none at all away in Germany.

Prolific in front of goal

Stuttgart have found the net 26 times across 11 matches in 2026, with Deniz Undav, Ermedin Demirović, Jamie Leweling and Chris Führich all heavily involved. Though not on target at Celtic Park, Germany striker Undav has been on fire of late, scoring six goals and providing seven assists since the turn of the year.

Demirović: 'We're in a very good position'

"The big win puts us in a very good position going into the second leg. It was a good team performance. We defended really well together and were clinical up front."

El Khannouss: 'We deserved the victory'

"I'm very happy I could help the team with my two goals. I'm obviously pleased to have scored, but I'm happier with the win. We played well and deserved the victory. We head into the second leg full of confidence."

VfB not 'already through' - Hoeneß

The Stuttgart boss told reporters after the 4-1 triumph in Glasgow: "The boys knew what was at stake and produced a very concentrated, focused performance. We want to see it over the line and go through to the next round, but we won't make the mistake of thinking that we're already through."

Stuttgart in driving seat

Sebastian Hoeneß's side have their sights firmly set on a place in the last 16 after cruising to a 4-1 first-leg victory at Celtic Park. Bilal El Khannouss (l.) scored twice for VfB, with Jamie Leweling (r.) and Tiago Tomás also on target.

Hello and welcome!

Welcome along and thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of this UEFA Europa League knockout play-off second leg between Stuttgart and Celtic.

First leg match report

Celtic 1-4 VfB Stuttgart
Goals: 0-1 El Khannouss 15', 1-1 Nygren 21', 1-2 El Khannouss 28', 1-3 Leweling 57', 1-4 Tomás 90'+3

Stuttgart got off to a dream start as El Khannouss slotted home with just 15 minutes on the clock after Celtic goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel had given the ball away. Benjamin Nygren capitalised on Atakan Karazor’s mistake to level soon after, but parity didn't last long. El Khannouss popped up again for Stuttgart's second, the Leicester City loanee heading home a precise Angelo Stiller cross.

Much like the first half, Celtic started well, only for Stuttgart to wrestle back the initiative and stretch their lead. Jamie Leweling slammed home a third from outside the area and Ermedin Demirović had a goal ruled out for offside, before substitute Tiago Tomás put the icing on the cake, finding the top corner form close range to send his side into next week's second leg with a healthy cushion.

Click here for all Stuttgart's European results this season!

As it happened!

1 - 4

(1 - 2)

Celtic

FINAL

Stuttgart

Europa League
Knockout play-off, first leg Knockout play-off, first leg Celtic Park, Glasgow

Karazor: "Hats off to the team"

“I’ve got to take my hat off to the team for how we performed today. We sometimes lacked that maturity in previous games. It makes me even prouder we were able to do that today. When you think of the teams that have lost here and how we performed today, hats off to the team.”

Leweling: "A statement"

“It was only our second away game in the Europa League that we’ve won. It’s always been hard away from home, so a 4-1 win here is a statement.”

Hoeneß: "Deserved to win"

“We’ve got ourselves into a very good position. We showed today what we lacked at times in the league phase, namely efficiency. We deservedly won. We were also very solid working against the ball. We didn’t allow them many clear chances.”

Full-time: Celtic 1-4 VfB Stuttgart

Stuttgart will return to Germany with a healthy first-leg lead in the bag after a clinical performance away in Scotland. Much like the first half, Celtic had more of the ball but struggled to create anything with it, while Stuttgart were ruthless with their opportunities and good value for the win.

Full-time

Fantastic four for Stuttgart!

Tomás gets on the end of an incisive pass into the Celtic box, finding the far top corner of the goal with the outside of his boot.

90'

+ 3

Tiago Tomás

GOAL!

1:4

90'

+ 3

Out quickly

A ball in behind sees Iheanacho bearing down on goal. Nübel races out and beats the Celtic striker to the ball.

90'

Substitution

Chema Andrés

Angelo Stiller

89'

Nartey can't hit the target

This time it's Karazor who cuts it back to Nartey in the box, who hits it over the bar first-time.

87'

Blocked!

Nartey finds Undav inside the area with a clear sight of goal. He tries to bend his shot in but sees it blocked by Trusty.

86'

Ambitious effort

Saracchi tries to lob Nübel just ahead of the halfway line and sees his attempt drop narrowly over the bar.

81'

Tounetki down

The winger is down injured and receiving treatment.

78'

Substitution

Marcelo Saracchi

Kieran Tierney

78'

Substitution

Luca Jaquez

Jeff Chabot

78'

Substitution

Tiago Tomás

Ermedin Demirović

Fired in

Yang is the protagonist again, firing in a rocket of a cross which is directly at Nübel.

73'

Misunderstanding

Demirović tries to feed Undav on the edge of the area, but only finds a Celtic shirt.

71'

Substitution

Chris Führich

Jamie Leweling

71'

Substitution

Nikolas Nartey

Bilal El Khannouss

71'

Substitution

Kelechi Iheanacho

Tomáš Čvančara

71'

Substitution

Luke McCowan

Benjamin Nygren

68'

Direct

Yang weaves his way into the area before crossing from the byline. A red shirt sees it out for a corner, which results in a free-kick for the visitors.

64'

Nygren from range

He bends a low shot toward goal, forcing Nübel down to his right to save.

62'

Substitution

Yang Hyun-Jun

Daizen Maeda

62'

Substitution

Reo Hatate

Paulo Bernardo

59'

Inches from number four

Demirović and Undav combine, with the German feeding his strike partner inside the area, who then loops his finish over the incoming Schmeichel from close range. VAR rules Demirović offside, and Stuttgart are denied a fourth.

Leweling makes it three!

Demirović carries it forward down the right before trying to feed Undav in the centre. The ball slips through to Leweling, who fires a shot into the near bottom corner from outside the area.

57'

Jamie Leweling

GOAL!

1:3

54'

Not done yet

The following corner doesn't come to anything, but Celtic recycle the ball and come again.

53'

Lightning rod Araujo

The right-back charges to the edge of the Stuttgart box from within his own half before swinging a cross in. The visitors clear, but Celtic maintain their pressure and eventually win a corner.

50'

First in the book

Chabot brings down Čvančara once again and receives the first card of the game.

50'

Yellow card

Jeff Chabot

48'

Front foot

Celtic have started the half in determined fashion.

46'

Here we go again!

The hosts get the second half underway.

Kick-off!

Half-time: Celtic 1-2 VfB Stuttgart

Hoeneß's side take a narrow lead into the break after an entertaining first half. Celtic were bright and did ask questions of the visitors, although without creating too many chances aside from their goal. Stuttgart definitely grew into the half, and ended it well on top and deserving of their lead.

Half-time

45'

+ 4

El Khannouss at the heart of it

He picks up the ball centrally before pushing forward and letting off a shot at goal, although he sees his effort blocked this time.

45'

+ 1

Four added minutes

The first half will be extended as a result of the early stoppage.

43'

Leweling over

Undav feeds him out wide, he beats his man and drives into the box before firing over the bar from the left-hand side.

39'

Can they hold out?

Will Stuttgart take their slender lead into the break, or do the hosts have another surprise up their sleeve?

35'

Probing

The visitors continue their search for a third, but aren't finding much space in behind the Celtic backline.

30'

Almost a third!

A cross to the far post finds Vagnoman, who nods down for Demirović. He tries to volley goalward but sees his effort deflected into the hands of the 'keeper.

Stuttgart re-take the lead!

Stiller swings in a cross from the right which finds El Khannouss unmarked at the front post, who simply has to flick his header past Schmeichel into the bottom corner.

28'

Bilal El Khannouss

GOAL!

1:2

26'

Settling in

After a chaotic start to this game, Stuttgart are enjoying a spell of possession.

Celtic equalise!

And it's similar to the goal Stuttgart scored themselves. Nübel plays a short pass out to Karazor, who plays a blind pass to Stiller on his right. Nygren nicks in, skips past Nübel and slots into an empty net. Game on!

21'

Benjamin Nygren

GOAL!

1:1

19'

Almost!

A low cross from the left finds Čvančara at the front post but he can't get enough contact on his attempt at a flicked finish.

18'

Immediate response

The hosts regain possession and head straight toward the Stuttgart area, where Tounetki sees a shot blocked.

Goal, Stuttgart lead!

A poor clearance from Schmeichel allows Jeltsch to charge forward and win a header deep in the Celtic half, which falls to Undav on the edge of the area. He backheels it inside to El Khannouss, who takes a touch past the defender before slotting home.

15'

Bilal El Khannouss

GOAL!

0:1

14'

Missed opportunity

Stuttgart break following a Celtic corner, but El Khannouss fails to find Leweling with his pass.

11'

Out to safety

Stiller clears the following free-kick, and Stuttgart can catch their breath.

10'

Free-kick

Chabot pulls down Čvančara on the left flank, and Celtic have a free-kick in a promising position.

Home advantage

The hosts have seen more of the ball in the opening exchanges.

Early threat

Maeda twists and turns before firing in a low cross, which Chabot clears.

Play resumed

The referee restarts the match.

Early stoppage

Play is stopped almost immediately due to objects being thrown on the pitch.

Off we go!

The first half is underway.

Kick-off!

More on those teams

Stuttgart make four changes from their win over Cologne, with Assignon, Mittelstädt, Andrés and Führich dropping to the bench in favour of Vagnoman (pictured), Hendriks, Stiller and El Khannouss. Čvančara, on loan from Gladbach, starts for Celtic.

Celtic starting line-up

Schmeichel - Araujo, Trusty, Scales, Tierney - Bernardo, McGregor (c), Nygren - Maeda, Čvančara, Tounetki

Celtic subs

Sinisalo, Doohan, Adamu, Yang, McCowan, Iheanacho, Saracchi, Hatate, Murray, Forrest, Donovan, Ralston

Starting line-up: VfB Stuttgart

Stuttgart subs

Bredlow, Hellstern, Al-Dakhil, Mittelstädt, Tomás, Führich, Jaquez, Assignon, Bouanani, Nartey, Andrés

Danger man

Benjamin Nygren is Celtic's top scorer in the SPL, hitting the back of the net 13 times in 26 games so far. He's also their joint-top scorer in Europe alongside Reo Hatate, having scored three goals in the competition.

Under the lights

Celtic Park is ready and waiting for this enticing Europa League clash.

They meet again

Chris Führich, Maximilian Mittelstädt (pictured) and Deniz Undav were all in Germany's squad for their 5-1 win over Scotland at Euro 2024, with Mittelstädt starting. Celtic's Kieran Tierney, Callum McGregor, Anthony Ralston (pictured) and James Forrest were all in the oppositions' ranks that day.

Managerial head-to-head

Hoeneß has never coached against Celtic's senior side but did face their U19's in the UEFA Youth League when coaching at Bayern Munich in 2017, where they won both of their games against their Scottish counterparts (6-2, 2-1). Martin O'Neill faced Stuttgart twice in his first stint as Celtic boss in 2003, with both meetings coming in the round of 16 of the UEFA Cup. They won the first leg 3-1 before losing 3-2 away from home but still advanced to the quarter-finals, and eventually the final where they lost to Porto.

Scintillating Swabians

Sebastian Hoeneß's men have scored 15 goals so far in the tournament, the fourth highest total in the competition, whilst also only conceding nine at the other end. Celtic have scored just two fewer than them, but have conceded 15 goals - the joint-third worst tally.

Stuttgart's European travels

Of their eight games in the league phase, Stuttgart lost three games and won five. All of those losses however, came away from home against Basel, Fenerbahce and Roma. Hosts Celtic won two and drew two of their home league phase games.

Demirović to start

Hoeneß was also asked on Wednesday about his line-up thoughts for the first leg. Asked if Demirović would get the nod, the coach replied: "You can assume so. In this case you can equate that to a guarantee." The 27-year-old bagged a brace against Cologne at the weekend and now has 10 goals in 20 competitive appearances this season, including one in four Europa League outings.

Sebastian Hoeneß on facing Celtic

"Celtic have had somewhat of a turbulent season, but can be a real force. They’re back on track now and have been unbeaten for several matches. They have the quality to hurt any team. We need to be ruthless."

Ermedin Demirović on playing away at Celtic

“I think it's something very special. When you arrive, when you see the stadium, when you soak up a bit of what you saw as a child, it is something special here. We're obviously trying to train well, stay focused and then block out all the external noise as quickly as possible, because ultimately it's a stadium where it can get loud, but of course we don't want to let that affect us.”

Martin O'Neill on facing Stuttgart

"Stuttgart are flying at the moment, they’re fourth in the Bundesliga and in a Champions League position. We’ve had a look at them and they’re strong, physical and they’ve got a lot of good players, so they will be difficult games for us. It's a real test."

Familiar faces

Alongside Engels, there are two other ex-Bundesliga players in Celtic's squad. Junior Adamu and Tomas Čvančara are on loan at the club from Freiburg and Borussia Mönchengladbach respectively.

Early Celtic team news

The Scottish side, meanwhile, will be without several important performers. Former Augsburg midfielder Arne Engels is out with a thigh injury, as are the likes of Cameron Carter-Vickers and Jota.

Early Stuttgart team news

Sebastian Hoeneß will be without Dan Axel Zagadou and Lazar Jovanović, while Jeremy Arévalo is also not in Stuttgart's European squad. Nikolas Nartey, Luca Jaquez and Justin Diehl were all unavailable for the win over Cologne at the weekend, so it remains to be seen whether they feature here.

1:04

Watch: Stuttgart's top 5 goals this season

Ermedin Demirović, Deniz Undav and Jamie Leweling lead the way in our compilation of Stuttgart's best Bundesliga goals so far this term.

Celtic - last time out

The defending Scottish champions come into this tie on the back of a 3-2 league win at Kilmarnock. Sebastian Tounekti, Benjamin Nygren and Julián Araujo all got on the scoresheet for Celtic, who currently sit third in the Scottish Premiership, three points behind leaders Hearts.

1:02

Watch: Stuttgart 3-1 Cologne - highlights

Ermedin Demirović struck twice before Deniz Undav got in on the act late on as Stuttgart saw off Cologne on Matchday 22 to keep their hopes of Champions League football next season alive.

Mixed fortunes against Scottish clubs

Stuttgart have won five, drawn two and lost five of their 12 European meetings with Scottish opposition, with their last six all coming against Celtic's fierce Glasgow rivals, Rangers. The Bhoys, meanwhile, have won only five of their 32 games against German teams down the years.

Head-to-head

These teams' only previous encounters came in the last 16 of the 2002/03 UEFA Cup. After a 3-1 defeat in Glasgow, Felix Magath's Stuttgart recovered from two goals down to lead 3-2 in the second leg, but they were unable to complete the turnaround as Celtic held on to progress to the quarter-finals 5-4 on aggregate.

Stuttgart - the story so far

Stuttgart finished 11th in the league phase, missing out on automatic qualification for the last 16 by a mere point. Sebastian Hoeneß's side won four of their last five league phase matches, but defeat against Roma on Matchday 7 would ultimately prove costly as the Serie A giants leapfrogged Stuttgart into the top eight.

Celtic - the story so far

Celtic advanced to the knockout play-offs in 21st place after a 4-2 home triumph over Utrecht on Matchday 8. That was one of just three wins Celtic enjoyed in the league phase, following on from victories over Feyenoord and Sturm Graz. Reo Hatate and Benjamin Nygren are the Hoops' top UEFA Europa League scorers this season with three goals each.

Hello and welcome!

Welcome along and thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of this UEFA Europa League knockout play-off first leg between Celtic and Stuttgart.