Champions League Celtic v Slovan Bratislava | Wed 18 Sept 8pm | TNT Sports 2

Much are the English champions league games ?

 

These European teams are always fast in the break and usually clinical, need to be every switched on at the back seen the bubble burst so many times early in at Celtic park

 

I think the way we are playing at the moment we will have a few chances and need to Bury them this time

 

Another good read.

 

If we play like we can we win this game. Maybe even win it comfortably. But as Rodgers says its a step up and we have to be bang at it at this level no matter who we play. Would have to think the team that started at the weekend starts again. We can consider a raft of changes then for the weekend.

 

If they come out, that's our best chance. You can't play like that if you're an underdog at Celtic Park. Maeda, Kyogo and Kuhn will have a field day.

 

Aye, I think they crumble in the atmosphere.

They'll be looking at this as their best bet but it's unfortunate for them that it's the opener as every Tim in the stadium will be goigg mental.

 

A super sonic shock attack

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Bit odd to call it their best chance of points when they’ve got Zagreb and Stuttgart at home. They’ll be much shorter than 8/1 in those games.

 

Can't believe the confidence in us to get a result tomorrow night our European record is a joke this team are no mugs

 

There are so many unknowns with this new CL format, all being in the one 'league' persay. One thing that is known is that Celtic have never won the first game in any CL group stage before, which immediately puts on the back foot and having to play catch up ever after.

In fact, the last time we won the first game of any Euro football group was in 2018, and when I looked back over the past 25 seasons where group stage football has been a thing - and that Celtic were involved in - there are only like 2 or 3 occasions when we have won that first game.

There are no easy games in Europe and Slavon Bratislava are undefeated througout all of their qualifying to get to this point, but there are undoubtedly areas where we should be looking at. They are a pretty attack minded side also as it happens, but they have only kept like 2 clean sheets in the past 7 or 8 games, and the one game they lost in that run, they got thumped 5-0, by the team that is sitting in 2nd behind them on the league table. And one of their players, Tigran Barseghyan has 8 goals and 2 assists to his name, so keeping him quiet should be something that CCV, Scales & co should be well aware of.

Who knows... a win in the first round of this new look CL league stage could be the catalyst for making a bit more of a dent this year, rather than playing catch up against some the much tougher opponants that we will face in due course.

 

This is what CL football should be but rarely is: 2 peer teams going at it with all to play for. They won't be scared of us and we won't be scared of them. Hopefully we are the best team on the night!

 

Apparently we haven't scored a goal on day 1 of of UCL since 2006 at old Trafford that's * wild if true was on Clyde SSB the night

 

Really need to be winning this, 2-0 Celtic.

 

Obviously we aren't as good as villa and bayern but Zagreb and Young Boys don't look anything special at all. Need to get on front foot in these games against them and Brugge and Bratislava

 

They’re at home to Dinamo Zagreb later in the campaign, so I take that as a bit of an insult. I know Dinamo are a decent side, but I’d like to think coming to CP presents more of a challenge than playing DZ at home.

 

I usually prefer an away game first, because we always struggle with the step up in the first game. Usually, we're playing a team miles ahead of anything we face domestically and we just struggle. In this case, though, we're facing a team on a similar level to us; so hopefully, the step up is not as big a shock as it usually is.

 

We literally have one of the worst home records in the CL over the last decade. Until we finally got that win last season, I think we actually had the worst. Of course they think we're their best chance. That goes 2 ways, though: they are our best chance of 3 points too.

 

Need to start this tournament positive.

End these silly mistakes,goals and missed opportunities.

Clean sheet and a few goals would be ideal.

 

Ach, away. That home record was largely accrued by playing against sides like Barca, Bayern, peak PSG, etc. Yes, there were also some losses to teams we should have beaten, on paper. Those were largely in qualifiers though, where we were typically under-prepared recruitment wise.

If that’s what Slovan fans are basing their confidence on, they’re deluded.

We’re a handier side than Dinamo Zagreb, with a home support that will likely be 30x the size of away following that Dinamo will bring to Bratislava. The Slovan boss just today has remarked on the challenge posed by the crowd alone.