Celtic vs Atletico Madrid

Celtic’s must-win Champions League fixture against high-flying Atletico Madrid takes place at Celtic Park in Glasgow this midweek.

Celtic’s Champions League season has reached a point of no return after Lazio’s 95th-minute winner condemned them to a second consecutive defeat at the start of their Group E campaign. Despite their dreadful European form, Brendan Rodgers’ men have excelled in the domestic championship, winning six successive league games on either side of those continental losses. Celtic’s Champions League struggles are long-standing, as they’ve only managed two victories across their last 28 matches in the competition proper (D5, L21). It’s been a decade since they last won a home game in the Champions League group stages (D2, L9), fuelling further pessimism within the ‘Hoops’ ranks. If that’s not enough to dampen the spirits around Parkhead, the Scottish champs have suffered a staggering nine defeats in their last ten encounters against Spanish opposition.

In the meantime, Atletico Madrid bounced back from a late shock that saw Lazio goalkeeper Ivan Provedel head home a late equalizer in a 1-1 opening-day draw by pulling off a 3-2 comeback win against Feyenoord last time out, moving to the top of Group E. That victory forms part of Atletico Madrid’s sterling six-match winning streak across all competitions, bookended by a 3-0 demolition of Celta Vigo on hostile turf at the weekend. ‘Los Colchoneros’ can draw further confidence from their unbeaten H2H record against Celtic (W4, D2), though the last time the two sides met in the Champions League was in 1974. Worryingly for Diego Simeone, his men have struggled on their recent continental travels, going five consecutive road trips without winning.