Celtic are back in the UEFA Champions League. That is something that not many fans would have expected to hear at the start of last seasons, when the club were coming off of a disastrous 2020/21 campaign, having finished without a trophy and 25 points behind the Rangers in the league. It is safe to say that things changed drastically under the management of Ange Postecoglou.
Celtic would go onto win the Scottish League Cup in December and then went one better, by winning the Premiership title from the Rangers, thereby booking their place in the Champions League as well.
It has been quite a few years since Celtic were in the competition and it is an exciting time to be a Celtic fan for sure. But at the same time it won’t be an easy reintroduction to the competition by any stretch of the imagination.
Celtic were placed in Pot 4 and as expected, have been handed a very tough group. They will be facing Real Madrid, RB Leipzig and Shakhtar Donetsk. UEFA Champions League tweeted out:
⭐️ 𝗚𝗥𝗢𝗨𝗣 𝗙 ⭐️
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 25, 2022
🇪🇸 Real Madrid
🇩🇪 Leipzig
🇺🇦 Shakhtar
🏴 Celtic#UCLdraw
Celtic handed very tough group upon their return to the Champions League
A lot of Celtic players and fans had hoped for Real Madrid in their group and they have gotten their wish.
The defending European champions will be coming to Parkhead, in what promises to be yet another magical European night of football in Paradise.
Yes, it will be a daunting task to face them, but at the same time, it will be a huge chance as well, to create a memory that will last forever. The win over Barcelona in 2012 is talked about to this day, how about marking the 10-year anniversary with a win over their eternal rivals.
RB Leipzig will also be a tough opponent to take on, following their rise to becoming the third best team in Germany in recent years. On the other hand, Shakhtar Donetsk might be the least daunting name on this list but they are sure present a big challenge to the Bhoys as well.