Celtic and Barcelona are due to face off in yet another Champions League tie on Tuesday night. Can the Scottish champions upset the odds once again?
7th November 2012 – Celtic 2-1 Barcelona
Tony Watt secured one of the famous victories in the history of the club, as reigning European champions Barcelona took a stumble at Celtic Park.
Goals from Victor Wanyama and Watt sent the home support into raptures, and allowed the club to take a massive step towards the last 16 of the Champions League. Lionel Messi set up a tense finish with a late strike, but there was to be no repeat of two weeks earlier, when Jordi Alba’s late goal deprived Celtic of a share of the spoils.
11th December 2013 – Barcelona 6-1 Celtic
This proved to be the Scottish champions’ joint-heaviest European defeat, and such was the disparity in quality between the sides, it could have been worse.
Goals from Gerard Pique and Pedro seized the initiative for the Catalans, before a hat-trick from Neymar killed any chance of a Celtic comeback. Cristian Tello added a sublime sixth before Georgios Samaras nodded home a redundant consolation goal.
An incensed Celtic manager Neil Lennon took to the media and claimed that his team ‘didn’t do their jobs’.
20th February 2008 – Celtic 2-3 Barcelona
Second-half goals from Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi proved enough to finally end Celtic’s proud unbeaten home record in Europe. The Catalan giants had been the last side to win at Celtic Park in European competition, winning 3-1 in 2004.
In this last 16 first leg tie, Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink almost brough the house down after 15 minutes with a powerful header, before 20-year-old Messi levelled the scores with a smartly clipped finish. Barry Robson looped a header over Victor Valdes before half-time to send the 58,000 Celtic Park faithful into dreamland, but Barcelona’s class proved to be the telling factor in the end.
14th September – Celtic 1-3 Barcelona
Barcelona might have beaten Celtic 3-1 in September 2004, with Deco, Ludovic Giuly and Henrik Larsson cancelling out Chris Sutton’s strike – but the game was all about one man.
Having ended his six-year love affair with the Scottish giants just four months earlier, Larsson was back at Celtic Park – but not in green and white.
It was a bittersweet moment as he raced through to round the goalkeeper and slot into an empty net. Celtic supporters had been used to watching the hitman inflict that predatory instinct upon others at Celtic Park for years – it must have been a strange feeling.
11th March 2004 – Celtic 1-0 Barcelona
Alan Thompson bagged the only goal in a famous win over Barcelona in the UEFA Cup last 16, which owed much to the indiscipline of the Barcelona players as it did Martin O’Neill’s tactical genius.
Both Celtic goalkeeper Rob Douglas and Barcelona midfielder Thiago Motta were shown their marching orders after a melee in the tunnel at half-time, before Javier Saviola later joined them for kicking out at Thompson.
Ronaldinho looked lively for the visitors throughout, but it was Newcastle-born Thompson who proved the hero, collecting a knock-down from Henrik Larsson before dispatching past Valdes.
The club would grind out a 0-0 in the second leg to secure a passage to the quarter-finals.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
