Leverkusen manager ignores Celje chaos ahead of Europa League clash

Bayer Leverkusen face Celje in the Europa League while ignoring the Slovenian club's recent managerial change.

Written by the BettingEdgeHub desk, 15 September 2026

Bayer Leverkusen prepare for their opening Europa League fixture against Celje with manager Carles Martinez keeping his attention firmly on his own squad. The German side experienced a mixed start to their domestic campaign. They suffered a defeat against Elversberg before bouncing back with a convincing victory against Union Berlin and a draw with Augsburg.

Market expectations and odds

Punters looking at the outright markets might see Leverkusen shortening for this fixture despite their inconsistent domestic form. Their phenomenal record in the group stage of this competition usually attracts heavy backing. They won fourteen of their previous sixteen group matches and secured nine consecutive victories on home soil while scoring heavily along the way.

Celje arrive with significant uncertainty surrounding their tactical setup following the dismissal of Vitor Campelos and the appointment of Zoran Zeljkovic. Martinez admitted that the sudden change makes preparation difficult because his staff cannot predict whether the visitors will sit deep or press high up the pitch. Bettors assessing the match must weigh Leverkusen strong historical dominance against the unpredictable nature of facing an opponent with a brand new coach.

Historical trends between German and Slovenian clubs heavily favor the hosts. German teams lost only once in eleven previous major European meetings against opposition from Slovenia. Celje are competing in only their fourth major European season, though they reached the quarter finals and the last sixteen in recent Conference League campaigns.

Betting implications

What it means for a bet

Backing Leverkusen to win at home remains a solid option given their stellar group stage record, but unpredictable tactics from the visitors suggest caution on the handicap markets.

Carry on from here

Today’s betting tipsEvery price side by side, with the reasons against printed too.More football bettingEverything else we have written in this section.Bookmakers in United StatesOnly the ones that hold a licence where you are.The forumWhat other people are backing, and what they are avoiding.

18+. Gambling can be addictive, please play responsibly. This is a news page, not advice and not a tip. Nothing here is a promise about any result. Our calls live on the betting tips pages, with the reasons against them printed next to the reasons for them.