A huge Champions League away trip beckons for Celtic as they travel to Borussia Dortmund on the second matchday of the league phase.
Brendan Rodgers’ Hoops enjoyed the perfect start to their European campaign as they thumped Slovan Bratislava 5-1 at Celtic Park two weeks ago. Celtic, who have won every game so far this season, are set to benefit from a kind set of fixtures, and they have an excellent chance of at least qualifying for the play-off round.
To do so, Celtic will need to finish between ninth and 24th in the league phase table. The top eight progress straight into the round of 16.
Borussia Dortmund were beaten finalists in this competition last time out, and their league phase started with a comfortable 3-0 win at Club Brugge. However, Nuri Sahin hasn’t had it all his own way at the start of his tenure, with his side succumbing to a 5-1 defeat to Stuttgart just days after their continental triumph in Bruges.
BVB currently sit fifth in the Bundesliga after their come-from-behind win over Bochum on Friday night.
Here’s 90min’s preview of Tuesday’s Champions League clash.
Sahin is expected to have Marcel Sabitzer, one of the stars of Dortmund’s Champions League campaign last season, available for Tuesday’s game after he missed Friday’s victory over Bochum with a knock.
Dortmund otherwise have few concerns on the injury front, with Giovanni Reyna expected to be the only player to miss out. The USMNT international is currently dealing with a groin injury.
Summer arrival Serhou Guirassy enters this contest in good form and is a shoo-in to start up top for the hosts.
Borussia Dortmund predicted lineup vs Celtic (4-2-3-1): Kobel; Couto, Sule, Schlotterbeck, Ryerson; Gross, Sabitzer; Adeyemi, Brandt, Gittens; Guirassy.
A lack of injuries has undoubtedly played a role in Celtic’s excellent start, and Rodgers once again has a full cohort of players available for their trip to Signal Iduna Park.
The Celtic boss opted for a strong starting XI at the weekend against St. Johnstone, and there are unlikely to be many changes from that team.
Reo Hatate was used off the bench at the weekend and he’s expected to return to the lineup in Dortmund.
Celtic predicted lineup vs Borussia Dortmund (4-3-3): Schmeichel; Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Taylor; Engels, McGregor, Hatate; Kuhn, Furuhashi, Maeda.
This is a grand occasion for Celtic, who should back themselves to cause an upset on Tuesday. Yes, Dortmund are a far greater test than Slovan Bratislava, but there are reasons to believe that this Celtic team might be a little different to previous iterations. They may not wilt in high-pressure European environments.
This is a flawed BVB outfit that’s still finding its way under Sahin. Some will question whether Sahin, who served as Edin Terzic’s assistant last season, is a stark enough breakaway from the previous regime. There’s scope for stagnation, that’s for sure.
As a result, the visitors have a real chance of getting a result.
