After the high of last week’s thumping 5-1 Champions League win over Slovan Bratislava, Celtic fans are excitedly anticipating matchday two against Borussia Dortmund.
There’s little doubt that it’s a much more difficult test. Dortmund were runners-up in the tournament last season after all, losing out to Real Madrid after a strong run to the final that included wins over Atletico Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.
The fact it comes away from home also presents a problem. Celtic do not have a strong record on the road in Europe. Last year alone Brendan Rodgers’ side failed to score an away goal in the Champions League, losing 2-0 to both Feyenoord and Lazio while succumbing 6-0 to Atletico.
But new optimism and belief is flowing through the manager’s squad this season. They believe they can rack up a points total to make it into a top 24 play-off, and many fans do, too.
James McFadden says Celtic can shock Borussia Dortmund
McFadden says the confident attitude being shown by Rodgers’ players right now can help them secure a result next Tuesday night, against the odds.
He said [Open Goal]: “I think it’s going to be tough but if you look at the confidence they’ve got, they definitely won’t take a backwards step, they’ll go to try and start fast. They’ll try and play the way they want to play.
“We don’t know how good Slovan Bratislava were. They looked terrible, but was it because Celtic were that good? The atmosphere before the game was ridiculous.
“I think the players will embrace the challenge rather than being fearful going there, although it is going to be tough and totally different. I give them a chance to go and get something.”
Even Derek Ferguson and Gordon Dalziel, also on the panel, concluded that a positive result was possible, showing just what an impression Celtic made on the opening night against the Slovakian champions.
Dortmund’s recent sign of weakness
Having changed management over the summer, Dortmund haven’t been imperious in the opening stages of their season, most recently losing 5-1 away from home to Bundesliga rivals Stuttgart.
That’s raised question marks and it’ll be very interesting to see how they get on against Bochum on Friday night with Celtic up next.
It should be noted they did pick up an impressive result themselves on their European opening night, defeating Club Brugge away from home 3-0 to kickstart their Champions League campaign.
Celtic certainly won’t find it easy in Germany, but in this form, people are entitled to fancy their chances of another fine result.
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