Benfica head coach Marco Silva has made it clear that Anatoliy Trubin will start against Celtic, with the goalkeeper having faced the Hoops before.

Celtic face a massive task inside Benfica’s Estádio da Luz, with the Portuguese giants one of the strongest sides in this season’s Europa League.

The Hoops lost 3-1 at home to Ferencváros in their opening game; meanwhile, Benfica beat AC Milan 2-0 at the San Siro.

To add to the list, Celtic will need to do something they’ve never done before: beat Benfica on their home patch.

Viljami Sinisalo is likely to get the nod between the sticks, having retained his place following the arrival of Sam Johnstone.

Marco Silva has faced questions over his own goalkeeper decision. Samuel Soares has started in their last two games, against Vitoria and Porto, but Silva made it clear who he’ll opt for on Thursday night.

“Regarding the goalkeepers, it’s also a matter of competition, and I can tell you today, it’s the only thing I’ll give you: Trubin will start the game tomorrow”, he said (via Benfica FC YouTube).

The Ukrainian has faced Celtic before when he was at Shakhtar Donetsk in 2022. Ange Postecoglou’s side drew 1-1 on matchday two, with the scoreline the same in their penultimate Group F game.