Last night’s Celtic defeat to RB Leipzig in the UEFA Champions League was obviously disappointing. Nobody likes to see the Bhoys come up short, especially after being level in the game at 1-1 an hour in.
Nonetheless, there’s still so much to play for in Group F. Partly, that is thanks to Real Madrid.
After winning at Celtic Park on matchday one, the Spaniards have kept up a perfect record in two matches against RB Leipzig and Shakhtar Donetsk, running away with the group on nine points.
Last night’s 2-1 victory against the Ukrainians was actually very important for Celtic if we’re to keep hopes of a last-16 berth alive. We can’t have either Shakhtar or the Germans picking up points against Carlo Ancelotti’s outfit.
If Real continue their form, winning in Warsaw next time out and then defeating Leipzig for a second time, the Bhoys are actually in with a strong shout of that knockout round progression.
The above scenario would mean that two wins for Ange Postecoglou’s side at Celtic Park over the next two games would guarantee a second-place finish before a ball is kicked in our final match at the Bernabeu.
That’s before we even consider all the permutations of a third-placed finish that would see Celtic parachute into the Europa League – which would be no disgrace from pot four.
So yes, for a short while at least, it’s time to cheer on Real Madrid in Europe alongside our own football. There’s no shame in needing a couple more results from them before we meet again. Qualifying by any means possible is fine by me.
In other news, Top-flight boss gets lengthy ban after speaking out on Celtic loanee’s red card.
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