Celtic have a chance to make a statement in the Champions League against RB Leipzig on Tuesday night.
The team has four points from their first three matches, which fans may have expected before the game.
The only difficulty is Celtic’s defeat at Borussia Dortmund, but the players’ response exceeded expectations.
Atalanta are now leading Serie A, and the Europa League champions are Italy’s best goal scorers, so the Bhoys were expected to have a difficult night in Bergamo.
However, Celtic drew with Atalanta thanks to a defensive masterclass, raising the morale among the fans once more.
The champions face RB Leipzig, who were in Pot 1 before a ball was kicked, but have lost all three opening European games and lost in the Bundesliga for the first time this weekend.
RB Leipzig will not be terrified to meet Celtic at Parkhead in the Champions League.
On paper, they may not have the points, but this RB Leipzig squad is as dangerous as ever, and Celtic must exercise extreme caution. Kevin Hatchard, a European football expert and Bundesliga pundit, joined talkSPORT to preview Tuesday night’s Champions League games.
They seemed to have forgotten about Celtic’s home game against RB Leipzig until Ally McCoist reminded them that ‘there is also one north of the border’.
That’s when Hatchard revealed what the Scottish champions will face and how the Germans have performed well on the road in Europe over the years.
As a result, Hatchard believes Marco Rose’s team ‘won’t be terrified’ of playing at Parkhead and warns that their bad performance against Dortmund at the weekend may have a rebound effect, according to talkSPORT (05/11/24 at 6:50 am).
“There is also one north of the border,” McCoist said of the Celtic-Leipzig encounter, as he previews upcoming Champions League matches. “Celtic recovered after their defeat in Dortmund. A good result in Italy. They’ll enjoy their chances, especially at home, against this Leipzig side.”
Hatchard went on to say, “Leipzig are really strong, though they did lose away to Dortmund this weekend. They didn’t perform particularly well in that game. I was startled by how poor they were. That could be awful timing for Celtic since they may recover. “They’ve won a number of Champions League games away from home in recent years, so you wouldn’t think they’d be terrified of going to Celtic. But Celtic surprised me in Bergamo against Atalanta. I feared they were going to be smashed. Schmeichel made a few saves, but they were more pragmatic than you might expect. They probed further than I thought.
RB Leipzig injury news ahead of Celtic’s Champions League game If Celtic wins this game, don’t be shocked if it’s only by one goal because it’ll be tense and close. Expect Leipzig to respond after their dismal performance against Dortmund, but they will be missing a few important players.
Castello Lukeba suffered an injury in the Dortmund game, and Rose revealed in his post-match interview that he is’very likely’ not to play at Parkhead. “He [Lukeba] sustained a thigh injury in training, and we don’t want to take any chances because we’re talking about five or six weeks out. As a result, I doubt he’ll face Celtic. And then there’s emerging star Xavi Simons, who injured his ankle against Liverpool last time out and is set to be sidelined until 2025.
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