Celta Vigo relive their historic thrashing of Juventus in a new Europa League showdown. The draw has paired the Sky Blues with the Italian giants, evoking memories of a memorable UEFA Cup tie from the 1999-2000 season. Claudio Giráldez's team faces its second consecutive participation in the European competition with a La Liga start that places them 14th, with one point from two games and a record of one goal scored and two conceded.
How did Celta's historic victory in 2000 unfold?
The second leg of the round of 16 was played on March 9, 2000, at Balaídos. After losing 1-0 in Turin, Víctor Fernández's Celta turned the tie around with a resounding 4-0 victory. Benni McCarthy was the star with two goals, while Claude Makélélé and an own goal by Alessandro Birindelli completed the scoreline. Carlo Ancelotti's Juventus played the entire second half with nine men following the sendings-off of Antonio Conte and Paolo Montero.
Celta's starting lineup that night was: Pinto; Celades, Sergio, Cáceres, Juanfran; Giovanella, Makélélé; Karpin, Mostovoi, Gustavo López; McCarthy. Substitutes used were Revivo, Tomás, and Mazinho. For Juventus, Ancelotti left a star like Zinedine Zidane on the bench, who eventually came on in the second half along with Igor Tudor.
What opponents does Celta face in the group stage?
Besides the clash with Juventus, Celta Vigo will face seven other teams in the Europa League group stage. The Sky Blues will travel to face Olympique de Marseille, Celtic Glasgow, Omonia Nicosia, and Hapoel Beer-Sheva. At Balaídos, in addition to hosting Juventus, they will play as the home team against Bournemouth, Union Saint-Gilloise, and Lillestrøm. This schedule represents a significant challenge for a team currently sitting five points behind leaders Barcelona in the La Liga table.
Manager Claudio Giráldez faces the task of balancing performance in Europe with improvement in the domestic competition. The next league fixture is a home match against 19th-placed Athletic Club, and fans can follow all the planning on our fixtures page.
What is the current context surrounding the team?
Celta approaches this new European chapter with the hope of repeating past feats, but also with the pressure to improve their league numbers. With only one point earned and a negative goal difference of -1, the team needs to quickly find greater consistency. The current squad, which you can review in detail in our squad section, will look to draw inspiration from the successes of previous generations.
The victory over Juventus in 2000 remains one of the brightest milestones in the club's history. Now, 26 years later, the draw offers the chance to write a new chapter. The immediate focus, however, is on the match against Athletic Club, a key game to change the momentum before the European adventure begins. The full La Liga standings are available in our standings section.
