Europa League IV
FC Midtjylland
~ Official TC Match Preview ~


Callum McGregor's first ever match as club captain was against Midtjylland in July 2021


MCH Arena, Heming
Thursday, 6 November 2025
17.45 GMT

Celtic will be looking to continue their recent revitalizing form under the interum leadership of Martin O'Neill and Shaun Maloney, when they travel to take on Danish side, FC Midtjlland, in the Europa League on Thursday evening.

Since the last time the Hoops were in European action (when they defeated Sturm Graz, 2-1), the Bhoys have started to find a run of form with O'Neill and Shaun Maloney being able to find ways of getthing the best out of the team in a way that the previous manager Brendan Rodgers was incapable of.

Not only has it invigorated the support and energized the team with a fresh approach, it has provided a platform for those who had previously been left on the periphery of the squad, while also getting more creativity and productivity overall.

A 4-0 win over Falkirk was followed at the weekend by a 3-1 victory over Sevco at the weekend not only secured a place in next month's League Cup Final against St Mirren, but proved to be the first success in a derby match in over a year, which only further highlights the influence that has been introduced in the past week.

Next up though is undoubtedly a very tough assignment, as they travel to Denmark to take on the side who is undoubtedly one of the most in-form side involved in any UEFA competition this season....​

Great Dane: Celtic will need Kasper Schmeichel to be at his best for the trip to his homeland this week


Who are FC Midtjlland?

Football Club Mitjylland came into being following a merge between Harning Fremad and Ikast FS in 1999. The two clubs had previously existed since 1918 and 1935 respectively and had continued a rivalry thoughout, but had never really made much of an impact on a wider scale until they set any previous animosity aside and joined forces.

Once this was done, they immediately won promotion to the top flight in their first united season and have gone from strength to strength. In the years since then, they have won four Superliga titles in addition to two Danish Cup triumphs, as well as increasingly becoming an established presence in various UEFA competitions.

Over the past summer they came under the direction of new manager Mike Tullberg, and the results have been very impressive, with just one loss across all competitions so far - and only twice been kept scoreless.

Currently sitting top of the Europa League standings, thanks to wins over Sturm Graz, Nottingham Forrest and Maccabi Tel Aviv has 'the Ulvene' (meaning, 'the Wolves') at the top with 9 points already, and are undefeated including during qualifying.

In fact, Hibernian are the only team to take anything from any match up against the Danish side so far in Europe, when they drew, 1-1, back in July. Midtjlland have won all eight of their European fixtures since then.

Midtjlland come into this game less than 3 days after they were last in action, in a top of the table battle against AGF, in which they had to fight back from a goal down with a late equalizer - and even had an injury time winner chalked off - as they salvaged a point, finishing 1-1, once again proving their resilience when the pressure is on.

The Celts will need to make the most of their opportunities as well as remain focused at the back if they are to claim their first 'Away' win in European competition since 2021.


Dangerman: 21y.o. Franculino Djú has already scored 17 goals so far this season

Head to Head

This will be the third competitive meeting between these clubs. They were drawn together before in July 2021, for the 2nd Round stage of Champions League qualifying. The two sides played out a 1-1 draw in Glasgow before Ange Postecoglou's Bhoys came up short, 2-1, when they travelled to Herning for the return leg.

Stats & Facts​

• The Hoops have won twice in their past 11 European games overall since early November 2024 (W2 D6 L3).

• The Bhoys are searching for a first 'Away' win in European competition since October 2021 (A 3-2 v Ferencvaros).

• Midtjylland are riding high on form this season, having lost just once across all competitions, and have won 8 of their last 9 'Home' fixtures.

• Danger everywhere - with 15 different players contributing to a total of 62 goals scored so far this season, lead by Franculino (17) while 4 others have 5 or more goals as well.

Alistair Johnston has resumed full training and could be set to make a return to action

Team News

For Celtic, Kelechi Iheanacho remains a doubt but could be passed fit in time, while Alistiar Johnston (hamstring) will once again join long term injured duo, Jota (ACL) and Cameron Carter-Vickers (achilles) on the sidelines.

As for the hosts, they will be without injured trio Ovie Ejeheri, Edward Chilufya and Adam Gabriel. Manager Mike Tullberg is likely to deploy his side in a 3-4-2-1 formation, which well suits their home pitch.

Referee: Nenad Minaković (SRB)

The 36y.o. official has taken charge of 115 matches in Serbia's Super Liga and has been involved in UEFA competitions since 2023, but has never previously been appointed to a match involving any Scottish club, Statistically, he does appear to be a bit card happy, so both sides will need to be mindful of their onfield discipline.

Overall Record
P:0 W:0 D:0 L:0

VAR: Ivan Bebek (CRO)

Weather

Herning's forecast for tomorrow suggests generally fine conditions with cloud cover and approximately 12°C at kick-off.



~~~~ Head to Head ~~~~

P:2 W:0 D:1 L:1

v All Danish Opposition
P:16 W:7 D:4 L:5

~~~~ 2025/26 Form ~~~~ ​

Overall
W W L W L ~ D W W W W​