Real Madrid-Celtic is a match valid for the sixth day of the group stage of the Champions League and it is played on Wednesday at 18:45: statistics, likely formations, predictions, live TV and streaming.
After three months in which the Spanish and European champions Real Madrid have been on a high, with plenty of victories and just two draws, it seems they want to take a ‘break’. Joking aside, the first drop of the season seems physiological for the Blancos, who were defeated for the first time last week at Leipzig in the Champions League and stopped in the championship by Girona, at the end of a match conditioned by fierce controversy towards the refereeing direction and which infuriated Carlo Ancelotti – who now risks disqualification – because of a dubious penalty kick awarded to the Catalans. No harm done, as Real remain top of both La Liga and their Champions League group, but only one point ahead of their two pursuers, Barcelona and Leipzig respectively.
As for the cup, Courtois and his team-mates only need to win against bottom-of-the-table Celtic – last and already out of the running for third place – to be seeded in the upcoming round of 16 draw. Blancos, therefore, masters of their own destiny despite the crushing defeat they suffered at the Red Bull Arena (3-2) last Tuesday. The Scots, moreover, far from the fortress of Celtic Park, do not seem a credible threat: in the first leg, after holding out for a half, Ange Postecoglou’s men literally collapsed in the second half (0-3), mainly due to the ultra-offensive and often unprejudiced attitude demanded by the Australian coach.
Ancelotti could extend the rotation and will certainly not have at his disposal the injured Benzema and Tchouameni. The only unavailable players at Celtic are McGregor and Starfelt. The green-and-whites have only picked up two points in this group, coming from the 1-1 draw with Shakhtar Donetsk, and in the Premiership they won 3-0 over Livingston, keeping the gap in the standings on arch-rivals Rangers unchanged.
Ange Postecoglou
The Prediction
Probably a wide victory for Real Madrid, who must secure first place and avoid a possible overtaking by Leipzig. The Blancos are likely to win by at least two goals against a team with no goals left. This time Ancelotti’s men will end both the first and second half with a lead.
Real Madrid v Celtic matchday squad
- REAL MADRID (4-3-3): Courtois; Lucas Vázquez, Militão, Rüdiger, Mendy; Valverde, Camavinga, Dani Ceballos; Asensio, Rodrygo, Vinícius Jr.
- CELTIC (4-2-3-1): Hart; Juranović, Carter-Vickers, Jenz, Taylor; O’Riley, Hatate; Abada, Hakšabanović, Maeda; Furuhashi.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 3-1
