Celtic have enjoyed a positive record against English clubs through the years.
Their last outing against Aston Villa in the Champions League last season didn’t go so well for Brendan Rodgers’ side, but this has been the exception more than the rule.
The 1970 European Cup semi-final against Leeds is one of the most famous European ties in British history. Who could also forget the UEFA Cup Quarter-Final against Liverpool in 2003, which saw the Hoops turn it around in the second leg at Anfield.
But a side who have faced Celtic a fair few times in the 21st century is Manchester United – they have met in testimonials for Ryan Giggs, Tom Boyd and Roy Keane.
On the competitive stage, the Red Devils came to Celtic Park twice in the 2000s, failing to win on both occasions – and Paul Scholes has reflected on the games.
Paul Scholes on Celtic
The games are most remembered for Shunsuke Nakamura’s free-kicks – particularly the 1-0 win in Glasgow in 2006, which saw Artur Boruc save a late penalty.
Gordon Strachan’s side were back in Group Stage action after a disastrous failure to qualify the year before (some things never change) and the campaign was worth the wait.
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Celtic won all three of their home matches in the group, which also contained Benfica and Copenhagen. They then took AC Milan to extra time in the round of 16, coming agonisingly close to knocking out the eventual winners.
It was a time when Celtic were formidable in Europe – and speaking on the Good, the Bad & the Football, United legend Scholes recognised that he didn’t realise how big a club they were.
He said: “I remember like the Rangers vs Leeds games, Liverpool vs Celtic, United vs Celtic. Celtic beat us a couple of times, I’m pretty sure, up there as well.
“But now the standard just I don’t think we probably realise how big those clubs are when we’re down here. They are massive clubs, aren’t they?”
Players to play for Celtic and Man Utd
Celtic and United have also shared some fantastic players in common through the years.
The player who probably made the biggest impact at both clubs is Brian McClair, who made 204 and 471 appearances at the Hoops and the Reds respectively.
Lou Macari became a United legend after joining from the Hoops, and later managed at Celtic Park. Roy Keane and Henrik Larsson both became legends at one club, before joining the other at the back ends of their career.
Dion Dublin and the late Liam Miller also deserve mentions. Less memorable recent examples include Saidy Janko and Tyler Blackett.
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