Tomas Cvancara has insisted Celtic still believe they can keep their Europa League campaign alive ahead of a difficult return fixture against VfB Stuttgart this evening…
19.02.2026 Celtic v Stuttgart, UEFA Europa League Knockout Round Play-Off 1st leg.Back row (L-R) Benjamin Nygren, Tomas Cvancara, Auston Trusty, Liam Scales, Paulo Bernardo, Kasper Schmeichel. Front row (L-R) Sebastian Tounekti, Julian Araujo, Daizen Maeda, Callum McGregor, Kieran Tierney Photo Kenny Ramsay IMAGO
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The Bundesliga outfit travelled back from Glasgow with a 4-1 lead following an impressive performance in the opening leg at Celtic Park, leaving Martin O’Neill’s men with a monumental challenge to overcome at the MHP Arena tonight.
Despite the odds, Cvancara maintains the contest is far from finished and says the players are committed to battling until the tie is over.
Tomas Cvancara of Celtic shoots at goal .Celtic v Hibernian, Scottish Premiership, Celtic Park, 22 February 2026. Photo Mark Runnacles IMAGO/Shutterstock
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Speaking at yesterday’s media conference via Celtic’s YouTube channel, the Czech striker said: “It’s not over yet. We’re still in Europe, and we have to give everything on the pitch to stay in the competition.”
“We know how difficult it will be — they proved their quality in our stadium. But our focus is on this match, and we have to go for it.”
“We’ve conceded some soft goals, but there’s a lot of quality in this team. For us, it’s about concentrating on what we can do and keeping our belief.”
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Martin O’Neill, manager of Celtic. Celtic v Livingston, Scottish Premiership, Celtic Park, 11 February 2026. Photo Mark Runnacles IMAGO/ Shutterstock
Meanwhile, Martin O’Neill revealed at his own media conference in Stuttgart that his side have prepared as normal despite Sunday’s decisive Premiership encounter against theRangers at Ibrox.
“The preparations have been absolutely fine,” he said. “Everybody except Julian Araujo, I think, has travelled with us. We’ll make decisions on the team tomorrow.”
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“We’re looking forward to the game, and I think that we’ve got some travelling fans coming here. They’ve spent some money, and therefore, we owe it (a performance) to them. It’s only Julian who has stayed at home. The rest of everybody else has come.”
Here’s Tomas Cvancara media conference ahead of this evening’s match between VfB Stuttgart and Celtic in the second leg of the Europa League play-off round…
Conor Spence
Celtic in the Thirties by Matt Corr. Click on image to order
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