Celtic hosts Club Brugge on Wednesday evening in what will be a very important UEFA Champions League match. The Scottish champions are targeting knockout stage consolidation on a Belgian side punching below their weights.
Match Preview
Celtic: Eyeing Historic Progression
Celtic is enjoying an exceptional 2024-25 season, with just one loss in 19 matches across all competitions. Their only blemish was a 7-1 drubbing by Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League, but the Bhoys have rebounded impressively.
Brendan Rodgers’ men have since gone unbeaten in nine games, including key results such as:
A 0-0 draw against Atalanta, their first European clean sheet away in seven years.
A convincing 6-0 thrashing of Aberdeen in the Scottish League Cup semi-final.
An important 3-1 win over Leipzig on Champions League matchday four.
Both victories position Celtic in a spot to make it into the knockout stages of the Champions League for the first time since the 2012-13 campaign. After three successive home victories on European soil, expect Celtic Park to be an impregnable fortress once more.
Club Brugge: Searching for Solidity
Inconsistency has been the mark of Club Brugge’s season. After a poor start, the Belgian champions picked up some rhythm and have won five of their last six games.
Recent highlights include:
A 7-0 demolition in their most recent fixture against Sint-Truidense VV.
A gutsy 1-0 win against Aston Villa in the Champions League courtesy of Hans Vanaken’s penalty.
Despite being bottom dwellers, Nicky Hayen’s charges have the quality to give Celtic a fight, and recent form provides the visitors with hope as they seek to fly up the table.
Form Guide
Celtic (Champions League): WLDW
Celtic (All Competitions): WWWWWW
Club Brugge (Champions League): LWLW
Club Brugge (All Competitions): LWWWDW
Team News and Predicted Lineups
Celtic Team News
Celtic will also not have Odin Thiago Holm, who is still out with a calf problem. Brendan Rodgers does not have any new injury worries and should name the same XI that tore Hearts apart last time out.
Key Player: Nicolas-Gerrit Kuhn, with 11 goals and 11 assists in 18 appearances this season, has scored in four straight matches.
Predicted Lineup:
Formation: 4-3-3
Starting XI: Schmeichel; Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Trusty, Taylor; Engels, McGregor, Hatate; Kuhn, Furuhashi, Maeda
Club Brugge Team News
Brugge has a couple of injury issues: Bjorn Meijer with a thigh issue and Gustaf Nilsson with an Achilles problem. However, Ferran Jutgla, Andreas Skov Olsen, and Joel Ordonez, who were rested in their last game, should return.
Key Player: Christos Tzolis, who netted four goals in that 7-0 win for Brugge and now has eight goals on the season.
Predicted Lineup:
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Starting XI: Mignolet; Seys, Ordonez, Mechele, De Cuyper; Onyedika, Jashari; Skov Olsen, Vanaken, Tzolis; Jutgla
Prediction
Celtic 3-1 Club Brugge
The home team has the edge due to their excellent form this season and the electric atmosphere that Celtic Park will ensure. Although Brugge have been doing relatively well in recent games, Celtic’s consistency and attacking artillery should help them emerge as winners at home.
