Celje vs Lugano Prediction and Betting Tips | March 6th 2025

Celje and Lugano will square off in the first leg of their UEFA Conference League round-of-16 tie on Thursday (March 6th). The game will be played at Stadion Z'dezele.

The home side are coming into the game on the back of a 2-0 defeat away to Olimpija Ljubljana in the Slovenian Prva Liga. Raul Florucz and Alex Tamm scored in either half to help their side claim all three points.

Lugano, meanwhile, suffered a 3-0 thrashing at home at the hands of FC Zurich in the Swiss Super League. Steven Zuber scored a brace, with his goals coming either side of Jahnoah Markelo's 49th-minute goal to inspire the win.

The Bianconeri will shift their attention to the continent, having qualified directly for this round with their sixth-place finish in the league phase. Celje eliminated APOEL with a 4-2 aggregate win in the playoffs to get here. A 2-2 draw at home was followed by a 2-0 away win in Cyprus.

The winner of this tie faces either Panathinaikos or Fiorentina in the quarterfinal.

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Celje vs Lugano Head-to-Head and Key Numbers

• This will be the first meeting between the two sides.
• Celje have scored in each of their last 10 home games in UEFA club competition.
• Six of Lugano's last eight games in continental football have produced three goals or more.
• Celje are facing Swiss opposition for the first time in over two decades.
• Lugano have lost their last three away games on the bounce.
• Celje's last eight home games across competitions have witnessed goals at both ends and also produced over 2.5 goals.

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Celje vs Lugano Prediction

Celje competed in all three UEFA club competitions this season, before making their bow in the main stage of the UEFA Conference League. The Yellow and Blues made an indifferent start to the tournament but have persevered to guarantee knockout football in Europe for the first time in their history. Furthermore, they are unbeaten in their last 10 home games on the continent (six wins).

Lugano were one of the revelations of the league phase but have struggled since the turn of the year. Mattia Croci-Torti's side have fallen to fourth in the Swiss league, having been top a few weeks ago.

We are backing the two sides to cancel each other out in a high-scoring draw.

Prediction: Celje 2-2 Lugano

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Celje vs Lugano Betting Tips

Tip 1 - Result: Draw

Tip 2 - Both teams to score

Tip 3 - Over 2.5 goals

Bold Tip - Both sides to score over 1.5 goals