Celtic have the chance to make another statement in the Champions League ahead of their clash against RB Leipzig on Tuesday night.
Brendan Rodgers’ side have four points from their opening three matches, and in truth, fans probably would have accepted that before a ball was kicked.
The only issue is how Celtic lost away at Borussia Dortmund, but the response from the players was beyond what many expected.
Atalanta are going strong in Serie A, added to the fact that the Europa League winners are the top goalscorers in Italy, so in that aspect, the Bhoys were supposed to be in for a difficult night in Bergamo.
But Celtic recorded a draw against Atalanta by producing a defensive masterclass and lifting the mood amongst the fans once again.
The champions face a RB Leipzig side who were in Pot 1 before a ball was kicked, but they have lost all three opening European games and also lost in the Bundesliga for the first time at the weekend.
RB Leipzig won’t be scared of playing Celtic at Parkhead in the Champions League
On paper, they might not have the points, but this RB Leipzig side is as dangerous as ever and Celtic will have to be very wary.
Ahead of the game, talkSPORT had European football expert and Bundesliga commentator Kevin Hatchard on to preview Tuesday night’s Champions League matches.
They seemingly forgot about Celtic’s home clash against RB Leipzig, before Ally McCoist reminded them that ‘there is also one north of the border’.
That’s when Hatchard gave an insight into what the champions of Scotland will be facing and how the German side have faired well on the road in Europe over the years.
As a result, Hatchard thinks that Marco Rose’s side ‘won’t be scared’ of playing at Parkhead and warned that their poor performance against Dortmund at the weekend could have a bounce-back effect, as he told talkSPORT (05/11/24 at 6:50 am).
“There is also one north of the border,” reminded McCoist about the Celtic-Leipzig game amid a preview of other Champions League ties. “Celtic recovered from their going-over in Dortmund. A good result in Italy. They will fancy their chances, particularly at home, with this Leipzig side.”
Hatchard added: “Leipzig are very strong, although, they did lose at the weekend away at Dortmund. They weren’t great in that game. I was surprised actually at how poor they were. That might be bad timing for Celtic because there might be a bit of a bounce back.
“They have had a lot of wins away from home in the Champions League in the last couple of years, so they won’t be scared about going to Celtic, you wouldn’t have thought. But I was surprised by Celtic in Bergamo against Atalanta. I thought they were going to get smashed. Schmeichel made some saves, but they were a bit more pragmatic than you thought they were going to be. They dug in more than I thought. They have got a chance, absolutely.”
RB Leipzig injury news ahead of Celtic Champions League clash
If Celtic can secure the points in this game, you won’t be surprised if there is only a goal in it because it is going to be very nervy and tight.
Expect some sort of response from Leipzig following their very poor showing against Dortmund, but they will have a few key personnel missing.
Castello Lukeba picked up an injury in that Dortmund match and Rose stated in his post-match interview that it’s ‘very likely’ he won’t feature at Parkhead.
“He [Lukeba] picked up a thigh injury in training and we don’t want to take any risks or else we are talking about five or six weeks out. I therefore don’t think it’s very likely that he will play against Celtic.”
And then you have rising star Xavi Simons, who suffered an ankle injury against Liverpool last time out, and is expected to be out until 2025.
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