The Scottish Giants and Celtic have been drawn against Real Madrid, RB Leipzig, and Shakhtar Donetsk in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League this season. The Scottish champions have lost two of their first three games in the group stage. The club remains winless in the competition and sits at the bottom of their group.
Qualification to the round of 16 seems very difficult for the club amidst competition from Real Madrid and RB Leipzig. However, the club is set to be eliminated from all European competitions as they sit on the 4th spot. The Scottish giants will want to try and finish at least third to secure a UEFA Europa League spot this season.
However, Celtic has been in fine form domestically as the club sits on top of the table with 21 points from the first 8 games. They are two points clear off their fierce rivals, Rangers. In their most recent match against German outfit, RB Leipzig, the club succumbed to a 3-1 defeat. The team struggled to impact the match early on and found their groove in the second half. However, it was too late as RB Leipzig clinically took their opportunities to put the game to bed.
Celtic hero, John Hartson has analyzed the situation
The Celtic legend said of the performance:
“It wasn’t great. I thought they were tactically aware and had the Lion’s share of the ball, and controlled the middle of the park. Again, Leipzig come to Celtic Park next week and it’s in our hands. There is a possibility with Celtic’s home form, but they would have to play very, very well to beat a team that have outplayed them (Leipzig).”
The analysis from the legend seems to indicate that the club lacked tactical awareness in the match. John is still hopeful of qualification as he trusts the home form. But the legend has also described it as a difficult opportunity as the club will have to play out of their skin to beat RB Leipzig and Shakhtar Donetsk.
However, he realistically also feels that the club might have to settle for Europa League. In my opinion, a spot in the Europa League will not be the worst thing as the club can go to the latter stages of the competition. A longer cup run might not be possible when it comes to the UEFA Champions League as the quality is just overwhelming at the moment!!
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