Celtic’s hopes of a Europa League comeback may have suffered a blow, with VfB Stuttgart set to welcome star Angelo Stiller back.
That’s according to BILD. The German newspaper provides a positive injury update on the 24-year-old today, at least from the German perspective.
Celtic head to Stuttgart on Thursday looking to overturn their 4-1 defeat last week. The German side were dominant at Celtic Park in that first leg, with a clinical performance amid protests from the Celtic fanbase.
Why Celtic won’t find it any easier
Sport Witness have already covered their mentality ahead of the second leg. Head coach Sebastian Hoeneß has promised that they will be “prepared accordingly” despite their comfortable lead.
One potential complication was an injury to Stiller. There were fears he suffered a serious injury during the away game in Heidenheim on Sunday evening. But, an MRI scan on Monday evening confirmed there were no problems.
In fact, it is even possible Stiller could be back in the squad for Thursday’s second leg against Celtic. The midfielder wasn’t on the pitch for Tuesday’s training session, though.
He instead completed an individual session. The belief, at this point, is that Hoeneß will likely prefer to rest Stiller against Celtic. He has captain Atakan Karazor to stand in for Stiller in the interim.
Celtic facing history
But having the 24-year-old available will be a major boost, nonetheless. And a blow to Celtic’s hopes of pulling off a Europa League miracle.
While Martin O’Neill’s side can’t play as badly as they did in the first leg, the trip to Germany will certainly not be an easy one. If they can come back, it will mean history is in the making.
No team has ever successfully overturned a three-goal deficit from a 4-1 defeat in a first leg. Teams have come from 3-0 down or different scores, but never 4-1.
The closes a team has come to overcoming a 4-1 deficit in the competition was Eintracht Frankfurt in 2019.
