Celtic Mad, Celtic Crazy: Champions League draw reaction
The setting was Monaco, 32 of Europe’s best teams awaited their fate. 8 Groups of 4 all hoping for the easiest passage possible. The one team we were waiting for that seemed to take an eternity to draw was Celtic FC.
Pot 4’s top seeds were usually drawn against our Catalonian friends of FC Barcelona. Was this year to be any different?
It wasn’t only to be different, but it was to throw in the world’s most expensive player ever into the mix.
Bayern Munich, PSG and Anderlecht in Group B is our fate. Can it be done? Can we qualify? Or is 3rd place realistic for us and European Football after Christmas in the Europa League a more realistic option?
Let us take a look at the Celtic Mad (putting our hoops colored glasses on), Celtic crazy and Celtic realistic reaction to what was an intense wait for the Bhoys’ name to be drawn in the group stage.
Celtic Mad Prediction
The mad prediction here is that could we actually win our 3 Home games? Let’s say we do. That gives us 9 points and surely Anderlecht are there for the taking Away? A point there gives us 10. Could this be done or is it just plain Mad?
Of course that requires a defense that can play with two of the world’s best attacking teams and an attack that is also healthy enough to get the job done.
Celtic Crazy Prediction
The Crazy prediction here is that we win our 3 homes home games and manage an away win at Anderlecht, thus giving us 12 points. That would leave it for PSG and Bayern to fight it out to advance with us to the last 16.
Hey, I said this was the crazy prediction…please don’t hold me (or us) to it.
The Realistic prediction
Ok, let’s make no bones about this. Bayern and PSG home & away is going to be very difficult to get anything out of. I think we’ll definitely struggle away from home to both these sides.
Bayern are just frightening at home and PSG with the big money signings including our old “friend” Neymar, are going to be very difficult to play in Paris as well.
But, the interesting matchups will come with Anderlecht.
The Belgian side have played four games already domestically and only have 4 points. I think they are our best hope of getting points in Group B. They’re definitely there for the taking home and away. Six points gets us Europa League football after Christmas and realistically here, I think that’s what we’ll get.
We could possibly nick a point off any of the big two sides at home but for me, third is where we’ll finish in Group B.
This is Celtic FC though so you never know. Could this be a group we surprise, or more likely one in which we target a chance at Europa League football?
Next: SPFL looks statistically awful according to new world rankings
Let’s remember, Rodgers has clearly marked a goal of advancing beyond the group stage. It may seem a difficult challenge, but the group stage has a funny way of playing out.