Results elsewhere in the Champions League this week were not particularly encouraging. Lille got an astonishing win at Atletico Madrid, moving them to 6 points and almost a certainty to make the cut.
Feyenoord join them on 6 points after also winning away, at Benfica. They too look safe. Even Dinamo Zagreb got into the mix with an away win, against RB Salzburg. Sporting’s win at Sturm Graz moved them to 7 points and into the top 8 in the table.
Celtic sit 20th with 4 points, behind PSG and Stuttgart, and above Sparta Prague and Dinamo Zagreb, on goal difference. 24 qualify for the next stage.
I expect the 19 above us in the table (including PSG and Stuttgart) to make it. Below us, you can anticipate Bayern Munich, Milan and Atletico Madrid all to get their act together. That’s 22 teams, leaving Celtic to compete for the two remaining spots. Let’s have a look at a few of them.
Leipzig are at Celtic Park a week on Tuesday after the worst start possible to their Champions League campaign: away to Atletico Madrid (lost 2-1), home to Juventus (lost 2-3), home to Liverpool, (lost 0-1).
Those results against very testing opponents contrasts to their domestic form. They sit joint top of the Bundesliga with five wins and two draws from seven games. As a guide, Borussia Dortmund are four points adrift.
The German side will travel to Glasgow knowing only a win will keep their qualification hopes alive, and they will expect no less after our result in Dortmund. This will be an enormously difficult fixture.
Brugge lost to Dortmund and Milan, but won at Sturm Graz. They come to Glasgow in five weeks for a game which will go a long way to determining the fortunes of both clubs. They were in top form early in the season but domestic results have suffered since the start of the Champions League, they have dropped to fourth, seven points behind Genk.
Having won comfortably in Salzburg this week to move onto 4 points, Dinamo Zagreb have a great opportunity. They are at Slovan Bratislava in 10 days, then home to Celtic in December. If you are a Zagreb fan, you will look at those fixtures with purpose.
Celtic have a clear path to qualification, but it will take the most enormous effort.
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Hopefully the article above is not about our coefficient monkeys.
Happy Friday.
HH!
It wasn’t.
Away braw as someone used to say.
HH
We can’t constantly second guess what is going to happen. We have a point more than we would have anticipated at this stage having played the toughest two ties in our programme.
Let’s just enjoy it for what it is – an opportunity to be in a mix of the thirty-six best teams in European football, a chance to progress to the last sixteen and a substantial pot of money to help us grow, strengthen and return again at the earliest possible opportunity.
From a home base in Scotland whee we dominate, it is not a bad place to be. HH
** where we dominate – sorry
R.I.P. Tommy Callaghan.
CELTIC MAC @ 7:51 AM,
Cheers… excellent points, interesting with GS and the “sieve” hadn’t realised that stat and it shows the score more than the opposition mantra has something going for it…
I’mTheChiefExecutiveOfBoboBaldeCSC
Hail Hail
BOURNESOUPRECIPE @ 10:02 AM,
Cheers… yes, their creativity knows no bounds when it comes to serving up tripe as succulent lamb…
Yes, the new format is certainly bringing on the challenges and RB Leipzig will be very telling.
We live in interesting Celtic times…
Hail Hail
Villa away surely represents a tougher fixture than Atalanta, perhaps even Dortmund.
R.I.P TOMMY CALLAGHAN.
A fine Celt and Gentleman .
I was privileged to watch Tommy playing really well for Celtic on numerous occasions.
I heard of him being called ” TID”….but I also seem to remember some of the Celtic support calling him ” BIG TICH” ?
i met him once alongside Bobby Lennox and Ronnie Simpson in 2001 ( I think ?) inside Celtic Park.
While talking to all Three Ex Celts that evening, I brought up the League Cup game against HAMILTION ACCIES in 1968, in which Celtic won 10 – 0, with Lennox and Chalmers scoring 5 Goals apiece.
As soon as I mentioned Celtic winning 10 – 0 ( BEFORE I mentioned the opposition)…TOMMY asked ” Was I playing” ?
Wee Bobby ” BUZZBOMB” Lennox jumped in replied…” Naw…You couldnae get a game for us” !
Tommy and Ronnie burst out laughing with Buzzbombs immediate ” Put Down”.
Tommy showed that evening that he could also take a joke.
That Lennox fella was a real rascal !
Tommy graced the Hoops.
R.I.P. Tommy Callaghan.
YNWA Tommy.
Very Matter Of Fact Lead And Hits The Nail On The Head…
You only need to look at the quality in and around Celtic’s part of the UCL table and those quality teams below us to know this is already a very serious league.
It also shows how schewed the old format Group Stage was in favour of the big league Clubs.
They are certainly not having it their own way and some very good teams shipping four, five or more goals.
My feelings at the start of the campaign was Celtic only progress by rebuilding fortress Celtic Park.
We need results in all our home games to qualify and that’s our superpower.
We will be tested, no doubts, yet if we can attack with the pace, physicality and personality that we did against Slovan Bratislava.
And show resilience, physicality and fitness, implementing a tenacious low-block in defence, we still have every chance of making the top twenty four…
Hail Hail
Paul , it will be exceptionally tough to get into that top 24 and even the most optimistic of us will be keeping our feet firmly on the ground . However , working out what ‘might’ happen is an inexact science . It’s possible for example that teams currently above us could slip below us , just as much as teams which are behind us might climb above us .
All we can do is play our best football and see where that takes us .
RIP Tommy Callghan . The Charlie Gallagher of his day .
THE BATTERED BUNNET # 12:27 PM,
Yes, there is every indication that this season’s Aston Villa are the real deal.
Even with our tier one Manager’s record against EPL Clubs, it would be madness going to Villa Park expecting a result.
The job done and a healthy “Battle of Britain” dessert is what is necessary at the end of January.
In the last game it will be carnage, we will have teams pushing to get into the top twenty four, teams pushing to get into the top sixteen, teams pushing to be in the top eight and more likely than not teams looking for a prestigious top three finish in the first UCL league.
Arguably the boasting rights of topping this league will be up there with reaching the final…
Hail Hail
https://i2-prod.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/article33968179.ece/ALTERNATES/s810/0_GL902063.jpg
It’s amazing what a Tier One manager can do and Aston Villa are a prime example with Unai Emery after years in the doldrums
Unless you really believe it’s “the best league in the world” I can’t understand why there’s such trepidation about the Villa game.
When the draw was made I put our chances of getting something there way higher than getting something in Bergamo.
Realism is soooooo boring
The highest scorers in italy and current Europa cup holders held us to a draw at home.
Believe.
Undoubtedly the richest league in the world, but not the best
CHAIRBHOY
Funny how stats can paint different pictures isnt it. The seive that had that poor domestic record also had 7 clean sheets and conceded once 8 times in 22 games that included knockout ties against Milan and Barcelona, 15 games.
2 clean sheets and conceded once 4 times for Brendan in 21 group games, while he broke all records domestically.
We do need to get back to being more competitive, the stats suggest BR still has a lot of work to do to match GS. We’ve been out of games too early and losing by two goals or more for too long.
I agree with your comments about Celtic Park being a fortress again. It’s easy to forget how good we were defensively at home under GS. We didn’t concede in all our four games at home in the CL in 06/07, and in total we conceded 3 in 9 games in the groups.
Wednesday certainly was a step in the right direction. If we can bring some of that to CP on the big nights along with BR’s more expansive game we could have a special Celtic team again.
RIP big Tommy
https://twitter.com/i/status/1644651535807176705
I’m enjoying the new format, although the obsessive in me is struggling with facing 8 teams instead of 3. It’s strange playing one game and putting it behind you, but at least on Wednesdays showing Brendan dies seem to have learned to adapt our game to the opposition. Unless you’re a top team simply playing your own game regardless of who you’re up against won’t work when you face a new quality team each time.
I wonder how much football anyone can handle, I’m sure we’ll be interested until the end of the final match but I’m already feeling the pace a bit, my stamina will be tested to the full I reckon
In the last game it will be carnage, we will have teams pushing to get into the top twenty four, teams pushing to get into the top sixteen, teams pushing to be in the top eight and more likely than not teams looking for a prestigious top three finish in the first UCL league.
——————
alternatively , many of the games could be dead rubbers as several positions will have clear three poins difference and will be known allready.
ie, the top 3 .
or the bottom 3.
prize money and potential next round opponenets being another factor , a team might be ok with a loss if it gives them an easier tie next round.
celtic will come down to goal difference, i am convinced of it.
The ‘success’ of Aston Villa might have something to do with them spending beyond their means?
https://swissramble.substack.com/p/aston-villa-finances-202223
Great team, good watch, decent squad, they buy well, and a smart, astute manager.
Acquired with that promise of jam tomorrow which is so prevalent in football.
Comparing old teams in old formats with old managers is a pure waste of time.
Some talk of Villa playing reserves in last game?
IMHO this is fanciful.
It might take ~19 points? (6-1-1) to guarantee top eight?
If they are on the cusp after 7 games, I can’t imagine their management settling for 9th place and play offs if it can be avoided.
Means two more games amid a quite exhausting EPL schedule.
Just on that EPL schedule?
Crazy across Christmas and New Year, there is a notable performance dip in January.
When are we playing Villa again?
🤔🤔🤔🤔
AIPPLE on 25TH OCTOBER 2024 12:03 PM
Hopefully the article above is not about our coefficient monkeys.
Happy Friday.
HH!
—————
Are you saying you take the podium without reading the article? 😳🤷🏼♂️
Isn’t that against the rules?
Just kidding. That’s the only way I’ve ever managed it. 😂👍
As for our next couple of opponents?
Think we need to play one game at a time and see where it takes us.
Leipzig are very good despite kneel pwa-an.
Tough game.
I watched Bruges away to Juventus. Despite a red card and a loss – they looked good.
The Huddleboard Breakdown Team
“Lille got an astonishing win at Atletico Madrid”
—
we are likely to need 1 or more of them ‘astonishing results’ then
Last threeChampions League campaigns.
Ange got us 2 points from six games.
Brendan got us 4 points from six games.
Brendan has 4 points from three games.
Progress.
https://x.com/declanrmcc/status/1849742154756735137?s=46&t=PNNx1cSBe6kRqG-F-W-_XQ
CELTIC40ME @ 1:11 PM,
Yes, the sieve was just a laugh but Gordon was marmite, he brought most of the support over but that was him hitting above and beyond.
In the noughties fortress, Celic Park was a real thing – in his first season MO’N’s side lost to Bordeux at Celtic Park in extra time and both he and GS lost to Barca at home.
That was the only blots on the Parkhead landscape before Tony Mowbray came along and blew it.
The wrong guy at the wrong time.
Football is a very different now and Europe a totally different environment but, if we can recreate Fortress Celtic Park at Paradise, we will be once again competitive in European terms.
“Wednesday certainly was a step in the right direction.”
And a giant leap for Celtic Kind…
My feeling by the end of January we will be looking at the BVD game as the outlier…
Hail Hail
SAINT STIVS @ 1:23 PM,
It will be up to the top Clubs if they are comfortably in the top eight and the bragging rights mean little to them, whether they go witha second string…
Good experience for those players you’d have thought.
Bottom clubs well adrift but will they play for pride? Young Boys could be interesting.
Yet many teams will have a lot to play for in January.
Hail Hail
Yet many Clubs
BACK TO BASICS – GLASS HALF FULL @ 1:51 PM,
Exactly, that’s what I’m seeing, progress, with lots of development room in that team…
Hail Hail
Mrs Quad and I watched the game again here on Frid night.
We were gritty, but let’s not kid ourselves we’re seeing our bhoys at their very best by a long shot.
Unsure touches, stray passes and, yes, we looked a bit too wee at times.
So while you talk about other teams being hard to handle Paul, some teams won’t fancy us if we hit wur straps. First watch of the game I had Aberdeen reject Scalesy ( ; ) as my Motm.
Second time around, I was super impressed by Valle; great touch and engine on him, which tired after 65 for about 15, then he came back into it.
So yes, p76, we know it’s not gonna be easy.
When we put our best game on – with 11 players all firing properly – we can give a few a rude awakekening.
Just ask Gasperini’s galacticos.
KTF
Tommy Callaghan; may his soul RIP.
Tommy Callaghan, a Good Celtic man and and a very underrated player.
We are losing a lot of good celtic men on and off the pitch. Hold onto those memories as tight as you can.
God Bless All.
Sean