Vinicius Jr has defended Celtic ahead of Wednesday’s clash between his Real Madrid side and Ange Postecoglou’s men, telling the Daily Record that the Hoops have deserved more points during this season’s Champions League campaign.
Celtic have managed to secure just two points throughout the entire campaign – drawing both fixtures with Shaktar Donetsk. But with Shakhtar winning against Leipzig early on, they are set to qualify for Europa League football.
Postecoglou’s side will miss out, even if they beat Real Madrid and Shakhtar lose – and there is a massive goal swing. The moral of the story for Celtic so far has been a lack of cutting edge, missing numerous chances, time after time.
The transition, the defensive work and the ability to create those chances has been excellent. But finishing them off when it mattered, not so much. Viniciur Jr gave his verdict on Celtic, and was full of praise for Postecoglou’s side.
“I am not sure Celtic’s position in the group reflects their quality. They gave us a difficult first half. It was a tight game. I was sure they would pick up more points than they have. Maybe they have just been unlucky,” Vinicius Jr said.
Vinicius Jr: Celtic have deserved more Champions League points
His verdict will come as both encouraging for Celtic fans, but also frustrating. Encouraging because clearly, there are signs that Postecoglou is taking his side forward – enough to impress one of the best attacking stars in world football.
But frustrating, because Celtic should have got more points. Had they been even a little bit more clinical in the final third, they might have been looking at Europa League football after Christmas. Plenty of positives, but no reward.
With Celtic sitting four points clear of Rangers after 12 Premiership games, they are in a good position to qualify for the group stages again. Next time around, you would expect they will have learned from their previous mistakes.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
