[Official TC Thread] Celtic vs Manchester City - Wed 28th September - 7:45 - BT Sports 2

Much better, yes.

 

:smiley-laughing002:

 

Bit arbitrary to only include group games, mate. In the CL as a whole, Barça have beaten us 3 times, AC Milan and Juve once at CP.

 

Totally agree, they are nowhere as near as good as Barcelona and I seem to remember them winning their first 5 League games last season as well.

They are a very good side but the way some are talking them up to be world beaters is baffling and just stinks of defeatism.

We all know fine well that man for man they have better players but when has football ever worked like that, bung in the atmosphere that we will create and you never know what can happen like in many games in the past when the doom mongers were all predicting a pumping, I've been watching Celtic too long to rule us out of any game at Celtic Park and Wednesday will be no different.

This will be a * hard game to get anything out of but let's go for it

 

I don't think it is very representative to restrict it to group games. If we were playing a pot 3 or 4 side, I'd agree; but City are precisely the kind of side that you get in the last 16.

I'd even go so far as to say that it would be more representative to include last 16 games and exclude games at CP against pot 3 and 4 teams.

By that reckoning We have lost 5 from 17 and not 3 from 24. I think that's a much better yardstick.

Edit: figures.

 

That team had nesta, pirlo, kaka, gattuso, seedorf and inzaghi. You seriously saying city are better than that?

 

We've dropped points and lost to some * in the Europa League and CL qualifying at home more recently though.

 

Yes. The best teams back then always had a couple of weak players you could get at, because the best players were not as concentrated in the elite clubs. Now I hear people clutching at straws and trying to describe people like Zabaletta as weak link in this City side.

The game is changed, mate.

 

No, mate. It's not at all representative. This city side is much better than most of the sides we got those victories against.

My figure is far more representative of the challenge we face.

In fact, pessimistic * that I am, I personally don't think City are a normal Pot 2 side, I think they are as big a challenge as most pot 1 teams TBH. I would personally argue that the most representative figure would only include our games in the last 16 or against Pot 1 teams. That would make our record 5 defeats, 3 victories and 2 draws from 10.

I only did the maths there to show you what I believe a representative sample of similar games would actually look like, but actually looking at the result there, I think it's actually a pretty * good reflection of how I rate our chances on Wednesday.

 

Yup, they are cherry picking games to include in their calculations IMO.

 

Was just meaning CL games mate but aye those were great wins as well.

We have a great home record for a side with our budget up against some of Europes best sides. But even still, since 2000 we have lost a fair few home games as well in Europe. In no particular order......

Ajax x2
Barca x3
Molde
Salzburg
Juventus
Milan
Arsenal
Dinamo Moscow
Maribor
Atletico Madrid
Hamburg

Lenny's last season and Ronny's horrific 2 year spell in particular have tarnished it somewhat.

Need to try and restore it a bit over the coming years.

 

I said Zabaleta, if he play's, is probably City's weakest link and where we can most likely get most joy with Sinclair up against him. Hardly a bizzare call is it?.... when Zabaleta's best year's are behind him and he's lost that bit of pace also..

Trying to downplay that Milan side, plus our achievements whilst ridiculously overplaying how good some of City's player's are..

Nesta walks in to that defence. Pirlo strolls in to midfield, Kaka takes anyone out of the number 10 spot. Seedorf strolls in, and genuinely the only 1 that walks in to Milans side from back then, is Aguero..

 

My feeling tells me that this will be a clear loss but a positive performance. I would take any points out of this game though even with a * performance, a group with the best english team and the best spanish team in Brendans first transformation season though is a very hard one and even the 3rd pot group members are a quality team.

 

I smell an EPL fanboy.

 

Our record in the champions league at home is there in black and white for anyone who wants to check it out. Comparing the atmosphere and excitement and passion the fans will transmite to the players on wednesday to the last 2 seasons in the europa league where we couldnt even fill the top tier? Really. There is something about the champions league and Parkhead- its just * special and we are always really really tough to get a result against.

 

Always feel confident at home in the CL , always seem to punch above our weight.

If we were to compare this team to past teams that have done well in Europe I would say were not as solid but we have some great attacking players that can do damage on the counter.

If we concede early I will start to get worried, if we keep it tight whilst looking dangerous on the counter ill feel confident we can nick something. One of the only positves of getting humped off of Barca is that City may underestimate us.

 

I don't think you understand my argument. That Milan side had some fabulous players (although you are overplaying that a bit), but they also had some poor ones. I remember them struggling to contain Aiden McGeady FFS. Zabaletta was one of two defensive players that impressed me most at the last WC (the other one was Mascherano), no way is he a weak link.

That's what is different a decade on. The top sides don't really have weak links anymore.