Celtic v Barcelona – Match Preview and Betting Tip

A repeat of this historic fixture from last season will bring misty eyes to many people in the hooped half of Glasgow. Last season, Celtic pulled off one of the most unlikely victories in their history, when they managed to beat the inimitable Barcelona, Messi and all, 2-1 at Celtic Park. That Barca’s return to Scotland comes so soon will be a point of celebration for all Celtic fans, but the Catalans will be keen to ensure that there is no repeat of last season’s unlikely scoreline.

Going into the game, it is possible that the mercurial Messi will miss out, having been withdrawn from Barcelona’s weekend La Liga victory with a thigh injury. However, Barcelona will be able to replace the Argentine with a top quality player, and will undoubtedly begin as favourites to win this match.

Winner

Despite having been turned over at Celtic Park last season, Barca are preditably the favourites to win this one with the bookmakers, and heavily odds on favourites at that. Perhaps it could work in Celtic’s favour if Messi is unable to start, but it is very hard to bet against the away team here. Thus, I am tipping Barcelona to beat Celtic, which can be backed at best odds of 2/5 with BetVictor.

Correct Score

Celtic are likely to play a deep lying game which involves hitting Barcelona on the counter-attack in this fixture. Barca are likely to have long periods of possession, with Celtic relying on set-pieces to score. Nonetheless, despite this game plan worked for the Celts last year, I can’t see lightning striking twice, and I think Barcelona will see this one off efficiently enough. My tip for this market is for the finals score to be Celtic 0 – 2 Barcelona. Best odds available are 15/2 with BetVictor.

Under / Over 2.5 Goals

The under 2.5 goals option can be backed at best odds of 27/20 with Bet365.

Winning Margin

A two-goal win for Barcelona can be backed at best odds of 16/5 with Paddy Power.

First Goalscorer

It’s not yet clear whether Lionel Messi will be starting up front for Barcelona, and if he does then he must surely be the favourite for this market. However, having been withdrawn at the weekend, I have a feeling that Messi won’t be risked in the fixture, and that Cesc Fabregas will play from the start. I am thus backing the former Arsenal player to score first here, best odds available are 13/2 with BetVictor.

Comment on this article

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Name *

Email *

Website

twitter (@username)

Comment

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title="" rel=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>