Celtic will take on Real Madrid at home in Matchday 1 of the Champions League group stage. The match will take place on September 6, starting at 19:00 GMT.
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Champions League 2022-23
 Celtic | vs |  Real Madrid |
Preview
Before the UEFA Champions League group draw, Celtic captain Callum McGregor said he wanted Real Madrid so his wish came true as they start their European campaign against the defending champions.
The club are gearing up for their first group stage appearance since 2017/18 and fans will be in high spirits after a (4-0) win over Rangers on Saturday.
Given that Celtic have won their last eight matches, scoring an impressive 35 goals in the process, and have also scored a goal in each of their last nine Champions League home matches.
After beating Barcelona (2-1) in 2012, they performed poorly against Spanish clubs and faced a major challenge.
Despite a great start to the league, head coach Carlo Ancelotti is expecting a difficult match.
Calling it the most important game of the first part of the season. The club can make life very difficult for them, just like Betis did before Madrid won (2-1) in La Liga.
However, they have lost two of their last three Champions League away games, and a victory over Chelsea in the first leg of last season’s quarter-final remains their only away Champions League victory.
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Players to watch
The home team has several talents at the club and Celtic striker Liel Abada has scored five times in the last three matches, three after the 55th minute.
There are quite a few players in Real Madrid who score a lot. One of them is Rodrigo, who scored Madrid’s winning goal against Real Betis and all five of his Champions League goals last season came after the 60th minute – three against English clubs.
Head to Head
The two teams met twice and both meetings played in the quarter-finals of the former European Cup in the 1979-80 season.
Celtic won (2-0) at home, while Real made up the gap with a (3-0) win in the second leg.
Bring it on! 👊#UCL || #UCLdraw pic.twitter.com/z9IBs4zdUA
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 25, 2022
Prediction
| Celtic win 5.10 | Draw 4.60 | Real Madrid win 1.65 |
The hosts have had a great start to the season and with this game being played at home they will be hoping for a positive outcome.
Real Madrid also have a 100 per cent record this season and will look to start their title defense with a win.
Given the form of both teams, this match will be very interesting, but Real Madrid is the favorite to win.
Prediction for this match: Real Madrid win with a handicap (-1.5).
- Both teams to score.
- Real Madrid to score in both halves.
