Aston Villa v Celtic: Free Bets, Tips & Insights

Stephen Welch / 9:34 AM GMT • 29th January, 2025

6 minutes

Here at betting.bet we’ll preview this huge fixture from Villa Park, offering match updates, insights and betting tips as well as the latest free bet offers and odds.

As the UEFA Champions League league stage draws to a close, Aston Villa host Celtic on Wednesday evening with both sides still eyeing a place in the next stage of the competition. Here at betting.bet we’ll preview this huge fixture from Villa Park, offering match updates, insights and betting tips as well as the latest free bet offers and odds from our various betting partners.

Where To Watch Aston Villa v Celtic

All 18 of this week’s UEFA Champions League matches kick off simultaneously with the action scheduled to get underway at 8pm UK time. Aston Villa versus Celtic will be played at Villa Park with live television coverage available on TNT Sports 1 and TNT Sports Ultimate. Radio coverage is available via BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra.

Champions League Recap

Both Aston Villa and Celtic head into Wednesday’s meeting with hopes of a top eight finish and a place in the last-16. Aston Villa are ninth with 13 points from their seven matches so far. Unai Emery’s Aston Villa looked well on course for a top eight finish by winning each of their first three Champions League games however one win from the next four has seen them slip to ninth with just one game to play. Their form at Villa Park has been particularly strong, taking seven points from a possible nine without conceding a single goal in matches against Bayern Munich (1-0), Bologna (2-0) and Juventus (0-0).

Celtic are already assured of at least a play-off place but have not given up hope of a top eight finish. Brendan Rodgers side sit eighteenth but are just one point off the top eight going into Wednesday’s fixtures. Celtic suffered a heavy 7-1 loss at Borussia Dortmund on matchday two but have bounced back to remain unbeaten in their subsequent five matches. The Scottish champions earned a priceless 1-0 win at home to Young Boys last time out.

Domestic Form

Aston Villa sit just four points off the top four in the Premier League and are currently unbeaten in five league games. Their most recent league games ended 1-1 at home to West Ham United at the weekend.

Celtic remain well on course for a record-equalling 55th Scottish title but have stuttered slightly in recent weeks. The league leaders’ advantage over Rangers in second has been cut to ten points following a 3-3 draw away at Dundee last time out. Celtic have now won just three of their five Scottish Premiership matches in 2025.

Aston Villa v Celtic: Head-to-Head

Both Aston Villa and Celtic are former European Cup winners and remain amongst Britain’s biggest football clubs. However, they have surprisingly never previously met in a competitive fixture.

Aston Villa did take on Scottish opposition in last season’s Europa Conference League, winning home and away to clinch an 8-0 aggregate win over Hibs. These matches against Hibernian represent Aston Villa’s only competitive matches against Scottish opposition in their history.

Celtic have come up against English opposition far more frequently, most recently when drawing home and away against Manchester City in the 2016/17 group stage of this competition. Celtic do have a decent record against English sides, winning seven and drawing seven of 20 previous fixtures against sides south of the border.

Betting.Bet Tips

Celtic have proved difficult to beat in the Champions League this season with just one defeat in seven matches so far however this is a must-win game for Aston Villa and we fully expect them to put Celtic to the sword at Villa Park. A home win is generously priced at 8/15 with BoyleSports.

Aston Villa scored after just 8 minutes in their 1-1 draw at home to West Ham United at the weekend but Unai Emery’s side have been notoriously slow starters in recent weeks. Prior to the West Ham stalemate, Aston Villa had not scored a single first half goal in any of their five previous games in all competitions so far in 2025. Under 0.5 first half goals could be worth a second look at odds of 5/2 whilst the 10/11 on offer for the second half to produce the most goals looks rock-solid.

On the goalscorer front, few would begrudge John McGinn a goal against his boyhood club on Wednesday evening. Aston Villa captain, McGinn made a return from injury at the weekend and will be desperate to start against Celtic. If Scotland international McGinn gets the nod from the start at Villa Park, he could prove a shrewd bet at 7/2 to score at any time.

Incredibly Ollie Watkins is without a goal from open play at Villa Park since November and is yet to score in the UEFA Champions League. The England international remains a hugely popular selection in the various goalscorer markets but is of course easy to oppose. Jhon Duran is Aston Villa’s top goalscorer in the competition and despite speculation over a January move away from Villa Park, the Colombian international has to be considered at 20/21 to score at any time.

Free Bets

Betano

Betano has certainly made its mark on the UK’s sports betting scene since launching less than a year ago. The popular online betting site has become recognisable to football fans throughout the country with their company logo now adorning the shirts of Aston Villa. As sponsors of last summer’s European Championships as well as this season’s Europa League and Europa Conference League, Betano are also no strangers to a major UEFA-run tournament.

Whilst their marketing spend has obviously been significant over the last twelve months, Betano are more than just a name on a shirt as their growing pool of existing customers will vouch. As an existing Betano customer you can benefit from generous odds and regular free bets as part of their Betano Sports Team promotion. Place 4x £10+ bets on any sports markets and earn up to £50 in free bets via their unique ‘Sports Wheel’ every single week. If you aren’t already a Betano customer then their current sports betting welcome offer provides new customers with £40 in free bets when depositing and spending just £10.

bet365

bet365 remains one of the UK’s most trusted betting sites and is undoubtedly one of the best betting football betting sites around. Ahead of this week’s Champions League action, bet365 are offering promotions aplenty for existing customers including money back in free bets if your bet builder loses on any Wednesday game whilst their free-to-play game, 6 Scores Challenge remains as popular as ever.

The generous promotions also extend to new customers with up to £50 available in free bets. Sign up and place your first bet of anywhere between £5 and £10 and you will earn five times your initial stake.

Match Odds

(Courtesy of BoyleSports)