Celtic vs Real Madrid

Defending Champions League holders Real Madrid take a trip to Celtic Park to meet an in-form Celtic in their exciting Champions League Group F opener.

Celtic picked up a staggering 93 points to dethrone Rangers in last season’s Scottish Premiership and book their place in the Champions League group phase for the first time since 2017/18. Keen to halt an underwhelming run of three consecutive eliminations at this tournament stage, the ‘Hoops’ will take the field in high spirits following a morale-boosting 4-0 demolition of Rangers in last weekend’s Old Firm derby. After winning all seven competitive matches this term via an aggregate score of 29-2, Ange Postecoglou’s high-flyers are looking to arrest a disappointing ten-match Champions League form against Spanish opponents (W2, L8). However, it’s worth mentioning that the ‘Bhoys’ have never won their Champions League matchday-one fixture across the previous ten attempts (D2, L8).

On the other hand, reigning Champions League holders Real Madrid already won a piece of European silverware earlier in the season, courtesy of a 2-0 beating of Eintracht Frankfurt in the UEFA Super Cup showpiece. Carlo Ancelotti’s men have carried their predatory form into domestic proceedings, with a 2-1 home win over Real Betis over the weekend maintaining a phenomenal 100% success rate in this season’s La Liga campaign (W4). Notably, ‘Los Merengues’ have qualified for the Champions League group stages for the 26th successive season, progressing into the knock-outs in all 25 previous attempts! If that’s not enough to encourage the visiting supporters, Ancelotti has only lost one of his six European games against Celtic as a manager (W3, D2).