Scottish champions Celtic host Bundesliga side RB Leipzig in the Champions League on Tuesday, and we’ve got the latest in terms of team news and predicted lineups, as well as a prediction alongside our match preview.
Celtic vs RB Leipzig Preview
Brendan Rodgers and his Celtic side return to continental action on Tuesday as they welcome Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig to Glasgow in their fourth Champions League league phase match, looking to build on a draw from last time out.
The Bhoys, against the odds, played out a 0-0 stalemate against the reigning Europa League champions Atalanta in Bergamo on MD3, which was a much-improved performance from their 7-1 defeat to Borussia Dortmund on MD2.
Celtic have now won one, drawn one and lost one in the league phase thus far, seeing them occupy 20th place in the table while they remain top of the Scottish Premiership table, level on points with Aberdeen, whom they beat 6-0 in the Scottish League Cup semi-final on Saturday evening.
📸 MD-1 at LXT!#UCL | #CelticLeipzig | #CelticFC🍀 pic.twitter.com/ANtn93bez9
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) November 4, 2024
RB Leipzig, meanwhile, are 31st in the Champions League table after losing each of their opening three matches. A tough opening sequence of fixtures saw them suffer defeats to Atletico Madrid, Juventus and last time out, Liverpool.
Domestically, Marco Rose’s side have impressed, currently occupying second place in the Bundesliga table, three points adrift of leaders Bayern Munich, and they are also into the third round of the DFB Pokal. They did suffer their first domestic defeat of the campaign at the weekend though, losing 2-1 to Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park.
Tuesday’s clash will be Celtic and Leipzig’s fifth-ever meeting in competitive play. Three of their previous four meetings went the way of the German side, while the Bhoys have come out on top on one occasion.
Celtic Team News
Rodgers’ side were boosted by the returns of captain Callum McGregor, Nicolas-Gerrit Kuhn and Adam Idah against Aberdeen at the weekend, and all three should have a role to play when Leipzig come to visit on Tuesday.
Elsewhere in the squad, there are no fresh injury concerns.
RB Leipzig Team News
Leipzig aren’t quite as fortunate when it comes to injuries, as they remain without long-term absentees David Raum (ankle), Xaver Schlager (knee) and Xavi Simons (ankle), while Castello Lukeba (thigh) is also expected to miss out.
Nicolas Seiwald is another who has struggled with injury over the last few weeks, but the young Austrian made his return to the bench on Saturday, so he should be involved in some capacity at Celtic Park.
Celtic vs RB Leipzig Predicted Lineups
Celtic Predicted Lineup:
Schmeichel; Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Taylor; Engels, McGregor, Hatate; Kuhn, Furuhashi, Maeda
RB Leipzig Predicted Lineup:
Gulacsi; Geertruida, Klostermann, Orban, Henrichs; Baumgartner, Haidara, Vermeeren, Nusa; Openda, Sesko
Celtic vs RB Leipzig Prediction
The champions of Scotland bounced back from their woeful 7-1 defeat to Borussia Dortmund with a very respectable showing against Atalanta, earning themselves a valuable point, but despite this, we’re favouring the visitors to come out on top on MD4, as are the UK’s best football betting sites.
Leipzig are in desperate need of a victory after losing each of their opening three Champions League matches this term, therefore they should play on the front foot, and we expect the likes of Lois Openda and Benjamin Sesko to cause the Bhoys some serious problems.
Their last meeting at Celtic Park ended 2-0 in favour of Die Roten Bullen in 2022, thanks to goals from Emil Forsberg and Timo Werner, and we’re predicting a victory of a similar fashion this time around.
Prediction: Celtic 1-3 RB Leipzig
