Celtic and RB Leipzig will square off against one another again on Tuesday evening, less than a week after their first meeting in Germany, with both teams needing to make up ground in the Champions League Group F standings.
The Hoops are now in the last position in the standings with just one point after three matches, and they suffered a 3-1 loss at the Red Bull Arena, so a victory is very necessary for them to move above of Leipzig and compete for a spot in the round of 16.
Our Match Preview: Celtic vs RB Leipzig
Celtic’s weaknesses were highlighted last Wednesday when they lost to RB Leipzig, a team suffering this season. Ange Postecoglou’s team had recently ended a three-game losing run against Real Madrid and Shakhtar Donetsk with a win against Motherwell.
Despite Jota netting an equalizer after the break, goalkeeper Joe Hart’s blunder led to their fate. Celtic have lost 17 of their past 23 matches at Europe’s premier level, demonstrating their difficulties moving up, but they got back on track with a Premiership victory over the weekend.
After starting on the bench in Germany, Greek striker Giorgos Giakoumakis scored Celtic’s victory at St Johnstone on Saturday. The hosts had equalized in stoppage time, and Celtic was ready to surrender points for the second consecutive domestic away encounter.
Giakoumakis scored the game-winning goal in the fifth extra minute to keep his team on top. Their prospects of advancing from a Champions League group for the first time in a decade depend on beating Leipzig on Wednesday.
With Celtic Park shouting them on, it is possible, but it will require a quick reversal from last week.
Andre Silva’s double and Christopher Nkunku’s opening gave Die Roten Bullen their first Champions League win in the opposite game, but they have won just three of their past 11 matches in Europe’s premier club tournament and trail Shakhtar Donetsk by a point in Group F.
Real Madrid has won all of its games so far, therefore the other three teams in the group are vying for one spot in the knockout rounds.
For new coach Marco Rose, avoiding loss in Glasgow is necessary. Domenico Tedesco’s tenure ended after a 4-1 Champions League defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk. Since Leipzig-born Rose’s arrival, the club’s inconsistency has remained.
Nkunku rescued a point with an 80th-minute equalizer in Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Mainz. Leipzig’s attention will turn to winning six points from six against Celtic and setting up a direct battle with Shakhtar for a berth in the last 16.
Our Team News: Celtic vs RB Leipzig
The absence of Callum McGregor, Celtic’s captain, who sustained a knee injury at Red Bull Arena and is sidelined until next month, could hurt the team’s chances of exacting rapid retribution on Tuesday night.
Although Ange Postecoglou made six substitutions over the weekend, he is likely to go with the same starting XI that played in Germany. Daizen Maeda and Kyogo Furuhashi need to rejoin the team as a result.
Cameron Carter-Vickers will play a role after recently rejoining Aaron Mooy in full training. David Turnbull, who missed time with illness, may also return. Due to Carl Starfelt’s injury, though, either Moritz Jenz or Stephen Welsh will have to fill in for him at the back in place of Carter-Vickers.
After suffering a major injury to their captain during the first meeting, Leipzig will be without goalkeeper Peter Gulasci and will instead use Janis Blaswich at Parkhead.
Although key players like Lukas Klostermann, Konrad Laimer, and Dani Olmo are out for the visitors, they have plenty of depth in the roster, especially up front, to compensate for their absence.
The trio of Timo Werner, Christopher Nkunku, Andre Silva, and Dominik Szoboszlai should provide a significant threat to the opposition, while the adaptable Emil Forsberg provides Marco Rose with a backup plan in the middle of the field.
- Celtic possible starting lineup: Hart; Juranovic, Carter-Vickers, Jenz, Taylor, Hatate, McCarthy, O’Riley, Maeda, Furuhashi, Jota.
- RB Leipzig possible starting lineup: Blaswich, Simakan, Orban, Gvardiol, Raum, Kampl, Schlager, Szoboszlai, Nkunku, Werner; Silva.
Our Prediction: Celtic 1-2 RB Leipzig
There has not been a consistent winning streak from either club lately, or with the stakes so high, this game might come down to a shootout.
The visitors’ superior attacking quality might lead to a second consecutive loss for Celtic in the Champions League and effectively ruin the Hoops’ hopes of advancing to the round of 16.
