The German Bundesliga has two genuine title contenders, just a point separates Bayern Munich from Borussia Dortmund, with Celtic’s opponents tonight, Bayer Leverkusen, a point behind Freiburg in fourth place.
Fourth would be enough for Champions League qualification next season but no fewer than five teams sit within a three point margin below them; the competition for European places in Germany is incredibly tight.
Leverkusen visit seventh placed Leipzig on Sunday, a win for the home team would be enough to see them move above Leverkusen, by any measure, this is a more important game for our German opponents than tonight’s Europa League game.
Leverkusen also need to arrest a slip in form. A 4-0 win over Real Betis and a 1-0 win over Bochum are their only victories in 8 outings, a period that has seen them drop out of the League Cup and any title ambitions.
A result better than a 0-4 defeat tonight will be enough for the home side, although a win will ensure they top the group and avoid a Champions League drop out in the next round. It will also allow them to rest players in the final group match in two weeks.
I know Ange Postecoglou will want to compete and do his best to achieve a result, but that 0-4 home defeat still haunts, I don’t expect anything tonight and my real hope is that we come through the game with a full complement ready to go against Aberdeen on Sunday.
This is not the European campaign any of us wanted, but with Europa Conference qualification secured, I only see past the next league game.
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First
COYBIG!!! por cierto
🥇
For its a Grand AULD team to play for ☘️
Well done JAMES1955, the year I was born :)) por cierto.
Don’t go to Pittodrie on Sunday P67.
Paradise is the place for you ☘️
Pittodrie ?
Por Cierto on 25th November 2021 12:08 pm
A good year 😁. 6th August.
The Transfiguration.
Paul,
I hope we don’t send a full complement to pittodrie on Sunday as it might leave us short handed for Celtic Park.:)
Proof I do read the article before posting.
Long way to go for a home game on Sunday?
COYBIG
Cannot wait to see the Bhoys tonight.
D :)
Paul has lost it….
D :) :) :)
Finally might get a ticket for the game in Aberdeen…
Absolutely brilliant from Ange yesterday: “I’ve always felt that the best way to measure yourself is to go out there and play your football. You can go out there and shy away from the contest and try and survive but I don’t think you learn anything that way, even if you do get a result.”
Gotta love this guy!
Go for it Celtic – need to get our European reputation restored. No better place to start.
P67 is getting a wee bit forgetful these days. I suppose if you take 67 and add on the years since the start of CQN then he’s a fair AULD age by now.
Hail Hail AULD yin…. 😁
Pittodrie…🤪 Ya Dunderheid!
jimtaggartcsc.
Paul
have you been to peppa Pig world?
Decent performance – no injuries – keep the scoreline respectable, in that order – that’s tonight’s objective.
Ange talks about “testing ourselves & our way of playing against the best” – a noble aim, however a heavy defeat could almost certainly be demoralising and deliver a negative psychological blow to our domestic campaign.
#Safety First CSC
From last article
Paul67
About 3 years ago I had a new competitor enter my marketplace.
His fees were way below what I could make a profit it .
He started to gain traction in my marketplace.
I made the decision that whenever I was in competition with him , I would undercut him .
It meant that I made a loss on several transactions.
But crucially.
I had plenty in the bank and could afford the short term sporadic losses .
Why did I do this ?
Because I knew that my competitor needed income to survive .
I deprived him of the Oxygen of cash .
He went bust .
In effect .
I put the garden water hose to full blast and stuck it down the throat of a drowning man .
Harsh ?
Probably .
But it was my family’s income or his .
There are better brains than mine on the Celtic board .
If we allow Sevco to get this season’s CL income .
It is beyond negligent.
Deliberate Hari-Kari.
I will start to believe that Dermot wants them on a sounder financial footing.
TT
I always look forward to the live updates when big Philbhoy goes off his head with “supporters”. 😂
I see our “True Socialist” and our pretendy Labour Man have combined to espouse the policies of UKIP and the SDL.
Colour me surprised!
JHB
A 4-0 home defeat hasn’t caused any psychological damage so I don’t see why a similar defeat in Germany to one of their top teams should.
Even a 5-0 defeat tonight will have no impact on my expectation of 3 points on Sunday as I pass through the turnstiles.
Aberdeen at home are in no way comparable to a top four German team playing at home.
Jobbies Hard Bluenose
I hope your next hard jobbie is a hedgehog! 🦔💩
Reading your posts, and I quote, ‘could almost certainly be demoralising and deliver a negative psychological blow to our domestic campaign’.
“CONEYBHOY on 25TH NOVEMBER 2021 11:43 AM
I think our defending as a tactic has improved since the first game but we still seem to make individual errors ”
Is there any individual in the world who doesn`t?
We still have the best defensive recorded in the SPL.
HS@11:03
Read that😂😂😂😂
HOT SMOKED on 25TH NOVEMBER 2021 12:54 PM
We still have the best defensive recorded in the SPL.
…but more importantly, the worst defensive record of all Europa League teams (along with Ferencvaros)
Let’s get it fixed. Let’s set our sights higher than the dross in Scotland, many oif which aren’t interested in attacking our goal.
HH
HOT SMOKED on 25TH NOVEMBER 2021 12:54 PM
“CONEYBHOY on 25TH NOVEMBER 2021 11:43 AM
I think our defending as a tactic has improved since the first game but we still seem to make individual errors ”
Is there any individual in the world who doesn`t?
We still have the best defensive recorded in the SPL.
———
we do indeed but some we have let in have cost us points and we are 4 points behind. Also, we dominate possession (which is part if out defensive tactic and has been across decades; doesn’t mean we have the best defenders in a pinch)
I’m happy with the progress, just want us to cut out the avoidable goals. The 2 against Dundee were shockers.
Looking forward to this evening – i was at the home game and couldn’t believe we didn’t bag 3 goals. Their keeper had a woldy – bit like Forster vs Lazio twice; those results could have flipped but for him
‘worldy’
Hope you’re sitting down…….the huns have a banner tonight, slagging UEFA about racism……..this shower couldn’t get a red face at a bonfire…..
So we’ve got what we wanted already from this group – European football after Christmas.
Leverkusen haven’t yet. Winning the group.
So it’s a free play for us and a chance to do what Ange says (test ourselves) relatively free of pressure.
I often feel we miss a psychological trick in the European game then into League game conundrum.
Viz ….
If we can play well away from home to a great team ….
… And take that performance into a home game against a lesser team 3 days later?
That second game will take care of itself.
BADA BING!! on 25TH NOVEMBER 2021 1:28 PM
Hope you’re sitting down…….the huns have a banner tonight, slagging UEFA about racism……..this shower couldn’t get a red face at a bonfire…..
Their Bears Den are the same.Some are still mixing up the two teams.So many” Let’s do this racist scum”.posts,it’s unbelievable for a support that’s been hammered for Racism.No self awareness whatsoever.You just have to shake your head in disbelief.
Win,lose or draw,as the song originally said,before it was changed for the better,I don’t really care tonight.
Win on Sunday,I will be over the Moon.Same for next Thursday.
On the other hand, I care a lot about tonight.
And not sure the Celtic song was made as an anthem to such a defeatist approach…
Get intae them..
HH
If I read this correctly I wonder why we even bother trying to qualify for European tournaments. We have twenty five games to play in the SPL but, as things stand only two left in the Europa League. We take a point home tonight or Betis lose one, or both we can still qualify for the last 32. Now whether we have the personnel available to achieve that is another thing, but the opportunity is there for us. And until the full-time whistle blows……Aberdeen can wait.
Paul67
Celtic have never won a Euro game in Germany as for tonight,…. ahem.
We have a manager with an unflinchable philosopy, which means the sieve will
come under the cosh tonight.
Previous managers didn’t try to defend either, but the good attackers we have, will be
up against better opposition than Livingston, just like Brendan Rodgers invincible got battered
By Barca.
You buy in with AP or you don’t, Aberdeen in Parkhead is much more important
Team sheet latest……………..Wee Jamesie CSC
p.s. nice gesture presenting his Semi Final jersey to the
family of Bertie Auld.
Apologies for terrible spaced out text.
setting free the bears for Res. 12 & Oscar Knox on 25th November 2021 12:44 pm
Not surprised in the least.
The lack of any comment from Ernie Lynch is very disappointing. He’s normally very vocal on racism??
Seems as long as you support the union, regardless what you post, you get a free pass from Ernie, just like Brian Wilson.
2nd place in our Europa grp would get us a play-off game in the next round with a 3rd place team dropping out of the CL, which currently looks like one of RB Leipzig, AC Milan, Dortmund, Sheriff Tirasol, Benfica, Sevilla, and Zenit. Baring a lucky draw and/or exceptional performance that would probably see the end of our European run. We’d earn an additional 500k for that round.
3rd play sees us drop into a play-off with a 2nd place team from the Conference league. Current candidates are LASK, Partizan, Bodo Glimt, Joblonec, Slavia Prague, Slovan Bratislava, Spurs and Basel. 300k for that round and a further 600k if we got past it to the next.
From both the perspective of staying in Europe longer and UEFA earnings, and assuming your view in both cases is more is better, 3rd place is probably the better option. Won’t stop me wanting to win tonight though.