Celta Vigo v Union Saint-Gilloise: a European test in Galicia

On the Atlantic coast, Balaídos welcomes a Jupiler Pro League side on Thursday night. Celta Vigo v Union Saint-Gilloise kicks off on 5 November at 9pm Belgian time, on matchday four of the Europa League, and brings together two clubs who have gone in opposite directions since the start of the season.

On one side, the Belgian runners-up, still unbeaten in the competition. On the other, a Celta side trying to make up for a poor start. For anyone into Europa League betting, this is one of the fixtures that could weigh heavily on the table at the halfway stage.

Seven points and no defeat yet for Union

Union opened their campaign with a convincing 3-0 win away to Plzeň on 17 September. They were then held 1-1 by Real Sociedad, young Sekou Keita equalising in the closing minutes, before beating Hapoel Beer-Sheva 4-0 on 22 October: Raul Florucz opened the scoring from the spot, and Guilherme Smith and Dylan Aquino did the rest.

That match counted as a home fixture but was played behind closed doors in Düsseldorf. Union usually host European opponents at OH Leuven's ground, and the city's mayor refused to welcome the Israeli club there on public safety grounds.

The win came at a cost: Mateo Biondic, replaced by Raul Florucz, and Darius Olaru both went off injured early on. With eight goals scored and just one conceded, the Brussels side sit sixth, among the direct qualifiers.

Celta Vigo struggling in Europe

Celta have taken just three points. Beaten 1-0 by Omonia in Nicosia, then 2-1 at Balaídos by Juventus to a goal right at the end, the Galicians bounced back in Glasgow on 22 October with a 2-1 win over Celtic, thanks to a Javi Rodríguez brace. They are 25th, just outside the play-off places.

It is a far cry from last season. Sixth in La Liga, Celta reached the Europa League quarter-finals, where Freiburg, who had already knocked out Genk in the previous round, eliminated them. Claudio Giráldez is still in charge of a side now ninth in La Liga, after a 3-0 defeat at Rayo Vallecano last Saturday.

They are also short of players: five injured men are missing, including striker Borja Iglesias and defender Carl Starfelt, who hurt the back of his thigh on international duty with Sweden in early October.

From the Super Cup to Balaídos, Union SG's season

For the Brussels club, the season began with silverware. After winning the Belgian Cup final against Anderlecht in May, Union lifted the Super Cup on 31 July against champions Club Brugge, on penalties (1-1, 5-4) at the Jan Breydel, where Brugge's Tsawa was the only player to miss.

Runners-up in the league, they were then knocked out in the third qualifying round of the Champions League by Bodø/Glimt, after extra time and with ten men, before dropping into the Europa League. David Hubert has a squad used to European nights: last season, Union went out of the Champions League at the league phase, one point short of the top 24.

Celta Vigo v Union and the race for the top eight

The format gives this fixture real weight. After eight matchdays, only the top eight go straight through to the round of 16, while the next sixteen have to come through a play-off. Last season's final table offers concrete benchmarks:

16 points for eighth place, held by Roma; Genk finished ninth on the same total and missed out on direct qualification only on goal difference;
9 points for 24th place, occupied by Brann;
7 points for Union and 3 for Celta after three matchdays, with five games left.

So the Brussels side are already almost halfway to the top-eight mark. Celta still need six more points to reach last year's top-24 threshold, and the fixtures are tough: Bournemouth visit Vigo next, followed by a trip to Marseille. A win on Thursday would put Celta back in the hunt for the play-offs, while a Union victory would widen the gap further. Union then host Lech Poznań before travelling to Lyon.

For Union, this trip to Galicia is also a test of whether they can back up their form away from Brussels. Celta v Union is open for betting at the Golden Vegas Sport sportsbook, and nothing is settled in advance: no run of results tells you how a European night will turn out, and a bet on this match can be lost, whatever the current form.