RB Leipzig's dreadful start to this season's Champions League forces them to perform at their best in today's game in Glasgow. Celtic suffered a crushing defeat in their only meeting with a German club this campaign: a 7:1 loss in Borussia Dortmund revealed that the Scottish side is unprepared to cope with a high pressing line.
Following that setback, Celtic have embarked on a decent unbeaten run, now stretching to six matches. However, during this period, the strongest opposition they faced was Atalanta (0:0), who were notably unlucky with their finishing in the last round (0.26 vs 2.38 xG and 4-22 in shots). It’s clear Celtic will struggle to control the ball, with the star-studded opponents likely to dominate possession—leading to inevitable Scottish mistakes.
Over the past week and a half, Leipzig have scored eight goals, defeating Freiburg (3:1) in the Bundesliga and eliminating St. Pauli (4:2) from the DFB-Pokal. They perhaps missed attacking midfielder Xavi Simons during last weekend's loss to Borussia Dortmund 1:2), but forwards Benjamin Šeško and Loïs Openda still managed to control a scoring attack. This defeat was only Leipzig's second across seven away games this season.
Two autumns ago, Celtic couldn't handle Leipzig (0:2) in a home match during the Champions League group stage. RB Leipzig are highly motivated, making their handicap a strong consideration at attractive odds.
