Martin O’Neill has confirmed that Julian Araujo has not travelled with the Celtic squad to Germany ahead of Thursday’s Europa League play-off second leg against Stuttgart.
Celtic’s Julian Araujo during the William Hill Premiership match at Celtic Park, Glasgow. Picture date: Saturday January 10, 2026.
Celtic head into the tie 4–1 down following last week’s heavy defeat at Parkhead and face a daunting task if they are to turn the tie around against a Stuttgart side expected to line up at full strength as they look to secure their place in the next round.
Speaking to the media before departure, Martin O’Neill revealed that Julian Araujo was the only fit and available player not to make the trip.
That rules the right-back out of Thursday’s 17.45 kick-off and leaves O’Neill with limited options on the flank. With Araujo absent, it is expected that either Anthony Ralston or Colby Donovan could be asked to fill the role against Bundesliga opposition.
Araujo has been one of the brighter performers since arriving on loan in January and his absence is another blow for Celtic on a night where everything would need to go right to keep their European campaign alive. Hopefully, he’s not out for Sunday.
Celtic will need a near-perfect performance in Germany to overturn the deficit against Stuttgart, and the loss of a key attacking outlet from full-back only adds to the challenge facing O’Neill’s side.
