Atl. Madrid – Celtic : Preview & Prediction
Having reached the halfway point of the group stage of the UEFA Champions League (UCL) 2023-24, four of the five Spanish representatives remain undefeated, and one of them is Atlético de Madrid. The side guided by Diego Pablo Simeone drew in their two outings to date (1-1 vs Lazio and 2-2 vs Celtic) and are looking for their second win at the Metropolitano after the one achieved on October 4 against Feyenoord, against whom the red-and-whites were twice behind on the scoreboard (ATM 3-2 FEY).
Although this is not a good habit for any team, it says a lot about how tough Atleti is in this competition. In two of the remaining three matchdays, the colchonero team will play in its fortress, where it has 15 wins in all competitions (14 in LaLiga, a club record). After the failure in the UCL 2022-23, Cholo Simeone’s squad is sailing with the wind at its back in the current edition and will fight this Tuesday for three crucial points.
After a narrow away defeat to UD Las Palmas last Friday (UDLP 2-1 ATM), Atleti host a Celtic side that remains firmly at the top of the Premiership and is on a six-game unbeaten run (G4, E2), the last of which ended with a 3-0 away win over Ross County. Bhoys manager Brendan Rodgers made several changes to the starting XI for their second league game in four days to rest his key players, and the calculated risk paid off.
Having yet to open their winning streak in this group stage (E1, P2), Celtic are virtually obliged to beat Atleti for the first time (E3, P4) to stay alive in the fight to advance to the Round of 16. Beaten in five of their last six European trips (E1, P5), four of them by two goals or more, Rodgers’ side will need to perform at a very high level to pick up the points they need from their visits to Atleti and Lazio this month.
Players to watch: Alvaro Morata is on a run of three clean sheets for Atleti, a run that began with a 2-2 second-half equalizer against Celtic. In that match, Kyogo Furuhashi opened the scoring and made it three games in a row, but the Japanese striker has not scored a goal since.
Key stat: Once a defensive wall, Atletico Madrid have kept a clean sheet in just one of their last 11 home wins in all competitions.
Atl. Madrid – Celtic : Betting Tips
Atl. Madrid – Win Odds: 1.35
