Charlie Nicholas has predicted a 3-1 win for Manchester City against Celtic.
Pundit Charlie Nicholas has told Sky Sports that he thinks Celtic will lose 3-1 away at Manchester City in the Champions League this evening.
The Bhoys travel to Manchester having produced a miraculous recovery in the league to beat Motherwell 4-3 on Saturday afternoon, as Brendan Rodgers’ side were 2-0 and 3-2 down before rousing recovery was capped off by Tom Rogic’s last-minute winner.
It’s back to the Champions League tonight though, as Celtic face the final game of their group stage campaign having picked up just two points from their five games so far.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers
Rodgers’ side have shown real potential in Europe this season though, and he’ll be hoping to go out with a bang as he takes his players to take on Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
Pep Guardiola’s men lost 3-1 at home to Chelsea on Saturday afternoon, with tempers flaring in the final stages as Sergio Aguero and Fernandinho were both sent off.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola
City are already through to the next round of the competition, but Guardiola will be looking for a response after such a disappointing Premier League display over the weekend.
The last meeting between City and Celtic ended in a 3-3 draw after an enthralling encounter at Celtic Park, but Charlie Nicholas is predicting a 3-1 victory for City this evening.
Former Celtic ace and current pundit Nicholas told Sky Sports that he thinks City will be angry after Saturday’s defeat and will unleash Raheem Sterling on Celtic, and whilst he believes Celtic have improved under Rodgers, it will be a tough night for the Bhoys, particularly for ‘lonely’ striker Moussa Dembele.
Celtic’s Moussa Dembele
“I do wonder whether there will be some anger left in Manchester City after what happened at the weekend, especially given the result in Glasgow,” said Nicholas. “Raheem Sterling was one player that was brilliant against Celtic and I was amazed he didn’t start against Chelsea. He tormented Celtic and you’d expect him to come back in.”
“Celtic’s away record in Europe is abysmal but they have been improving. They’ve only got two points in the bag but I think Brendan Rodgers will demand his side show what they learnt. I think Rodgers might go with a back three and try to play on the counter-attack but with Scott Sinclair out, Moussa Dembele could be a lonely figure up top,” he added.
What’s your prediction for Manchester City v Celtic?
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