Six games, five defeats, and 18 goals conceded; The last time Celtic stepped foot onto the Champions League stage, they almost resembled an angsty car park drunk suddenly finding himself sharing a ring with a peak-era prizefighter.
And, With Real Madrid on the slate for Tuesday night, the Hoops once again feel like the Buster Douglas to Los Blancos’ Mike Tyson. But here’s the thing; Buster Douglas won that night in 1990.
And it’s not inconceivable that Celtic can land a jab or two – perhaps even a knockout blow – on one of football’s greatest heavyweights.
Three big reasons why Celtic can beat Real Madrid in the Champions League
No Karim Benzema?
When Lionel Messi is tipping to you win the Ballon D’Or, you know you’ve had quite the year. Arguably the finest number nine in world football has picked up where he left off in 2022/23, scoring four times in his first five games of the new campaign.
So it would have been music to Celtic ears – a full-on philarmonic orchestra even – when Carlo Ancelotti suggested that his fearsome Frenchman could be rested for the first time since the season began at Parkhead.
“Mariano (Diaz), (Eden) Hazard, Rodrygo (Goes), (Marco) Asensio can play in that (centre-forward) position. (Luka) Modric has played there too, although that didn’t go so well,” Carlo Ancelotti mused.
“The fact we’re playing every three days now might mean (Benzema) will have to rest some matches.”
Of the aforementioned quartet, only Mariano is what can reasonably be called a ‘proper’ centre-forward. And he’s scored just three times in the last three-and-a-bit seasons. Hazard, Rodrygo and Asensio are still talented and technical enough to cause problems for most defences, though the prospect of a Benzema-less Real Madrid will raise hopes of a result to match that 2-1 triumph over Barcelona a decade ago.
Experience vs exuberance
Even if Benzema is consigned to a watching brief, this will be a Real Madrid side brimming with elite-level experience; one boasting more silverware than a Debenham’s sale. But don’t rule out a coach as canny as Ange Postecoglou turning Real’s biggest strength into something approaching a weakness.
Celtic ran Rangers ragged in a 4-0 thumping on Saturday lunchtime. Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side just couldn’t cope with the intensity of Reo Hatate, Callum McGregor, Greg Taylor, Matt O’Riley and Liel Abada. Purist Postecoglou isn’t going to rip up such a successful blueprint, even when the European champions come to town, and if Celtic are to kick off their Champions League campaign with a famous win, expect tempo and tenacity to be the bedrock upon which such foundations are built.
It will not be a surprise to see Daizen Maeda, perhaps the fastest, most hard-working member of the Hoops squad, given the nod against Real Madrid.
Toni Kroos, Dani Carvajal and Eden Hazard are still fabulous footballers. But they can’t cover the ground like McGregor, Josip Juranovic, Maeda and co.
Dodgy defence
At his best, Eder Militao is a colossal centre-half. One capable of going toe-to-toe with the continent’s finest marksmen. But the former Porto man remains prone to serious lapses in concentration. He gave away a ludicrous penalty against Celta Vigo, struggled to deal with the physical Joselu against Espanyol and was caught flat footed for Real Betis’s equaliser over the weekend. Giorgios Giakoumakis, in particular, could give Militao plenty of problems with his instinctive movement and upper-body strength.
The magical Jota, meanwhile, should be licking his lips at the prospect of running at the now-30-year-old Carvajal. If he doesn’t start, Lucas Vazquez will. While a relentless worker, Vazquez lacks the defensive awareness of a natural right-back.
Real Madrid have not kept a single clean sheet in four La Liga games this season. Now, as Liverpool discovered in the Champions League final, creating chances is not the difficult part. Putting them away – with Thibaut Courtois providing a magnificent last line of defence – is.
Celtic, however, should be confident of creating opportunities against a shaky Madrid back four. Particularly after racking up 27 goals in their last seven games.
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