Celtic in the UEFA Champions League 2024-25

Having had 24 hours to think about that result last night, and with the benefit of seeing the results tonight it’s turned out to not be the biggest disaster albeit still disappointing as it’s a game we really should’ve been winning.

The Brugge game I don’t see as a missed opportunity to be honest, if we’re being totally realistic they’re probably a better side than us and on another night we’d have been 2 or 3 down before equalising, certainly would’ve in seasons gone by.

If I’d been offered 9 points at this stage, knowing a win at home against the poorest side in the competition guarantees a knock out game, I’d have snapped your hand off. However the game against Young Boys needs to be a totally different approach from last night where we were just far too safe and cautious. Having watch bits of some of their games, and going off some of the rankings they’ve taken if we go after them from the off they’ll crumble then last nights performance can be put to bed. We clearly learnt our lesson after the Dortmund game, so no reason to think we won’t have last night either.

The other thing we shouldn’t forget, in the results which we’d say were great for us, Atalanta and Leipzig, we rode our luck at times. Atalanta absolutely leathered us for 60 minutes but couldn’t score and for 10 mins after going 1-0 down to Leipzig they could’ve, and probably should’ve put us to bed. Important to remember that when thinking about the Brugge and even more so Zagreb results. Even last night, but for a great save from Schmeichel near the end, we leave there with nothing. Overall it’s been a good campaign with learning points to take both in terms of being more pragmatic in games but also being a bit more adventurous too. Win our next game as we should then it’s been a great one and any game after that, for me, becomes a bit of a free hit.

 

Beat YBs and we are through, simple as that.

For us to go out…
Say we lose to YBs, we are still on 9 points in 21st place.
From below us, PSV beat red star, they move to 11 points, we go 22nd.
Assume Stuttgart beat Slovan, they move to 11 points, we go 23rd.
City vs PSG…PSG win, they go to 10 points, City win they go to 11 points, if it’s a draw City go to 9 points with better GD than us, any which way we end up in 24th.
Zagreb play Arsenal so likely to lose and remain on 8 points, leaving us clinging on in 24th place heading to Villa.

If we then lose to Villa and remain on 9 points, there’s a number of teams that can overtake us.
If PSG beat Stuttgart they move to 10 points and we are out.
If Zagreb win at home to Milan, they go to 11 points and we are out.
If City beat Brugge, they move to at least 11 points, even if they lose to PSG the round before.

That’s not counting the chances of any of Sparta, Shakhtar, Girona, Salzburg, Red Star or Sturm Graz pulling it out of the bag and winning their last 2 games, all of which can overtake our points haul.

So 9 points, barring some freak results, will not be enough.

If we draw with YBs and lose to Villa, we end up on 10 points.
Assuming the same scenario of results, as mentioned above happens, then we are in a GD scenario for 24th place with Stuttgart, and possibly a few more, to clinch that last remaining spot.
We are on 0 GD now.
Stuttgart are on -3 now, but play Slovan next so could easily win by a few.
Then it just depends on who loses by more on final match day, us vs Villa, or them vs PSG.

So, imo, 10 points will probably end up not being enough either.

 

Basically we need to beat YBs

 

In a nutshell!

 

I think the Leipzig game and what's followed has knocked us all a bit. It does feel like missed opportunities. But swap around the Brugge and Leipzig results and everyone would be pretty delighted overall!

Bratislava - W
Dortmund - L
Atalanta - D
Leipzig- D
Brugge - W
Zagreb- D

Somehow reads better than drawing our last 2. Regardless though we'd have all taken 9 points from 6 games at the start .

1 win needed at home against the worst team in the tournament and we're in the playoff. We're in a wonderful position.

Exciting stuff!

 

YB is now a MUST WIN.

Looking at that table boils my *.

What a * missed opportunity to actually qualify straight through

 

The table's so open, win our last couple of games and we would probably be looking at going straight through to RO16. As things stand, we're near the bottom of the teams hoping to make the playoff round.

Last night actually * me off more than any game this season. Like I was gutted after the Dortmund game but I'm still raging at our attitude as a team last night.

 

I don’t think Brugge are better they are well drilled but have nothing going forward at all last 3 results built on luck a mental penalty a brain fart of a own goal and a Lisbon team struggling after losing their manager


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We all wanted the team to be more cautious in Europe....

Stop moaning ,a point wasn't a bad result even though it could've been better.