Champions League | League Stage

Nov 27, 2024 at 8pm UK

Celtic Park

Celticvs.Brugge

Match preview

Celtic have had a fantastic start to the 2024-25 season. They've only lost once in 19 matches across all competitions, with 16 wins and two draws.

The only loss they've had this season was in their 10th game, a 7-1 defeat away to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on matchday two. It was a bit of a setback after nine consecutive wins.

Brendan Rodgers got a lot of flak for sticking with his expansive, open style of play after that humiliating loss, but his side have since silenced the doubters with an impressive run of results.

The Bhoys have gone on to secure seven wins and two draws, including a historic 0-0 draw against Atalanta, which was their first European clean sheet away in seven years. They also had a dominant 6-0 win over then-unbeaten Aberdeen in the Scottish League Cup semi-final and a 3-1 victory over Leipzig on matchday four of the Champions League.

The results in Europe, along with the club's record 5-1 win against Slovan Bratislava, have put Celtic in 15th place in the table with seven points. They're aiming for another three crucial points here to boost their chances of qualifying for the Champions League knockout rounds for the first time since 2012-13, when they were eliminated by Juventus 5-0 on aggregate in the last 16.

After failing to win at Celtic Park for 12 successive Champions League fixtures between 2013 and 2023, they've now won each of their last three home matches in Europe's most prestigious competition. The Bhoys will be hoping for a bouncing atmosphere to help them get over the line with the victory on Wednesday.

Club Brugge might have had a shaky start to the season, but they've got the quality to give Celtic a run for their money here.

The Belgian champions had a rough start to the season, losing three and drawing one in their first four games across all competitions. But they finally got on a roll, winning four games in a row in the league.

However, they had a tough time after losing 3-0 to Borussia Dortmund, winning only two of their next seven games, losing three and drawing two. But they've bounced back and are on a winning streak going into this match.

The Blue-Black have won five and drawn one of their last six, including a strong 7-0 win against Sint-Truidense VV in their last game, which has left them feeling confident going into this one.

Nicky Hayen's team have already shown they can hold their own on the continent, beating Aston Villa 1-0 in their last Champions League match thanks to a penalty from Hans Vanaken, awarded after a strange handball by Tyrone Mings.

Recent Performance

Celtic Champions League form:WLDW

Celtic form (all competitions):WWWWWW

Club Brugge Champions League form:LWLW

Club Brugge form (all competitions):LWWWDW

Team News

Odin Thiago Holm is likely to be the only one missing from Celtic's line-up, with the midfielder out since early November due to a calf injury that is likely to keep him out until early next month.

Rodgers has put together a strong squad for this season, which means there's plenty of rotation between matches. With no fresh injury concerns heading into this one, the Bhoys could field the same side that dismantled Hearts on Saturday.

Nicolas-Gerrit Kuhn has had an impressive start to the season with Celtic, scoring 11 goals and providing 11 assists in 18 appearances across all competitions. He's scored in each of his last four matches, so he'll be the one to watch out for here.

Brugge will be without Bjorn Meijer for at least another month due to a thigh injury, while Gustaf Nilsson will be out until the new year with an Achilles tendon injury.

In other news, Ferran Jutgla and Andreas Skov Olsen were given a break from the action for parts of the 7-0 win last time out, while Joel Ordonez was rested for the duration. However, all three are likely to return to the starting team here.

Christos Tzolis was on fire in that game, netting four goals and bringing his season total to eight. Brugge will likely look to him to make the difference once again in this one.

Possible starting lineup

Celtic possible starting lineup:

Schmeichel; Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Trusty, Taylor; Engels, McGregor, Hatate; Kuhn, Furuhashi, Maeda

Club Brugge possible starting lineup:

Mignolet; Seys, Ordonez, Mechele, De Cuyper; Onyedika, Jashari; Skov Olsen, Vanaken, Tzolis; Jutgla