Marco Rose is a name that Celtic fans are very aware of. In the past, he has been linked with the Parkhead job himself. And he has come up against the Hoops, when he was the RB Salzburg manager. Thus, this won’t be a new experience for him by any stretch of the imagination.
These are early days for him at RB Leipzig though, who decided to replace Domenico Tedesco with Rose, after making a poor start to this campaign. As things stand, they are yet to gain their first point in the Champions League. They did get a 4-0 win over VfL Bochum at the weekend though, in the lead up to the Celtic game.
While Rose tries to leave his mark on the RB Leipzig team, one man who has already done that at Celtic is Ange Postecoglou. His style of football has earned a lot of plaudits as well but now, it is about converting the performances into wins in the Champions League. An away trip to Germany is not going to be easy.
Rose seems to be a big admirer of Celtic himself. As reported by the Scottish Daily Express, the RB Leipzig manager said:
"“You have to say, it’s great fun to watch Glasgow Celtic, especially their Japanese players. It’s very noticeable how strongly these guys shape the game.“They’re small, bustling and extremely uncomfortable (to play against), especially in one-on-ones. They also have a great mentality. They can decide the game with their individual actions.“Overall Celtic have a very exciting and clear game idea. Similar to us, they try to interpret football actively, to align the game offensively and to put the opponent under pressure.“The team has a very high willingness to perform and is also very hard-working. Ange Postecoglou is doing a really good job at a great club.”"
Can Celtic get a win vs RB Leipzig away in Germany?
Celtic have been very impressive in their first two games in the Champions League this season. They went toe to toe with Real Madrid for a long time and then managed to outplay Shakhtar Donetsk away in Warsaw.
Still, they just have a point to their names though. And if they are to make it to the knockout phase of the competition, they need to win a few games now.
If they are able to get a win and a draw against RB Leipzig over these upcoming two games, it will set them up very well. It is easier said than done though and a lot will become clear tomorrow.