It’s great to have Celtic heading into December and with a real chance of progressing further in Europe. Especially so when it’s in the Champions League. The new competition format there, instead of the previous group stages, has opened up the permutations to qualify considerably. Brendan Rodgers' squad is very much in contention for a last-16 play-off place.
The draw against Club Brugge was in part disappointing. After such a great win over RB Leipzig in the previous match, hopes were high for another three points.
It wasn't to be as Celtic didn't meet the same performance heights this week. In the end, the draw and the point gathered should be seen as a decent result and help their chances to progress.
The result has though led to a mass of statistics on the probability of Celtic reaching the playoffs. It’s even more complex if you dig deeper into whether that's as a seeded or unseeded team. The many statistics circulating, as quoted by The Celtic Way, currently range from just a 13% probability of getting through with eight points, all the way to a 99.8% chance with eleven points.
Celtic path to qualify for Champions League play-offs becomes clear
The higher end of those statistics does depend on Rodgers guiding his side to another win. It looks like three more points will be needed. That won't be a surprise to Celtic fans and start to focus thoughts on the remaining three games.
Rodgers will undoubtedly set up his side to gain points in all three remaining matches. But fans will eye the middle tie in late January against BSC Young Boys as the critical game. It’s a home tie against the Swiss side who are currently bottom in the competition with zero points and a -15 goal difference. While a lot can change between now and then, and there's a transfer window in between, that tie has to be a great chance to pick up three more points.
Either side of that are two away matches. Next week against Dinamo Zagreb, then the final match of the eight in Birmingham against Aston Villa.
While in the past there was a poor record in away games in Europe, Celtic have shown greater strength with their draw at Atalanta. There is a decent chance of picking up one point at least, and possibly more, from those two away ties.