Celtic-Atletico Madrid is a match from the third day of the Champions League group stage and is played Wednesday at 9 p.m.: TV, lineups, predictions.
Atletico Madrid quickly forgot Provedel’s resounding last-gasp goal in the Champions League opener against Lazio, which prevented Diego Simeone’s Colchoneros from taking away from the Stadio Olimpico three points that seemed already in the bag. On the second day, the Madrilenians disposed of Feyenoord: the Dutch beat them 3-2 despite twice going ahead.
It was the more experienced players, Griezmann and Morata – the former Juventus center forward scored a brace – who put things back on track, scoring the two decisive goals at the turn of the first half. It was an exhilarating success, allowing Koke and his teammates to keep pace with Lazio, meanwhile runners-up in Glasgow, and fly to the top of Group E, shared right with the biancocelesti on four points. Atletico Madrid now has a golden opportunity ahead: while Maurizio Sarri’s men and Feyenoord will take points off each other in the coming days, the Capitolini will face Celtic, the (not only on paper) least equipped team in this group twice in the space of three weeks.
Celtic still out of points
The standings, in fact, do not lie. The Scots are the only ones still with zero points: they lost decisively in Rotterdam (2-0) and were chastened in full recovery by Lazio (1-2), which conquered the hostile Celtic Park thanks to a Pedro header.
Furuhashi
Whites who thus continue to struggle so much in Europe: improving on last year’s result – they finished last in the group with Real Madrid, Leipzig and Shakhtar Donetsk – at this rate becomes an impossible task. Brendan Rodgers’ team consoles itself, as usual, with the league: in the Premiership, Celtic has eight wins in nine days and already has a seven-point lead over Rangers. Atletico Madrid, on the other hand, at the weekend extended their winning streak – they are six in a row – by scrambling Celta Vigo in Galicia and keeping their goal unbeaten (0-3) for the first time in three games. All this despite a full infirmary: the various Depay, Savic and Gimenez were joined by Lino.
The Prediction
Playing in a fiery environment like Celtic Park is never a walk in the park, but Atletico Madrid is well, confident and should be able to impose itself even on Celtic, which struggles much more on the continental stage. It cannot be ruled out that the green-and-whites will manage to score at least one goal, in light of the many absences among the Colchoneros.
Celtic-Atletico Madrid’s likely lineups
- CELTIC (4-3-3): Hart; A. Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Taylor; O’Riley, McGregor, Hatate; Maeda, Furuhashi, Palma.
- ATLETICO MADRID (5-3-2): Oblak; Riquelme, Hermoso, Witsel, Azpilicueta, Molina; Saúl, Koke, Barrios; Griezmann, Morata.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-2
