Celtic's Champions League campaign will draw to a close tonight when the Hoops face group leaders Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.
After their 1-1 draw with Shakhtar Donetsk last week, Celtic were guaranteed to finish at the bottom of Group F in the Champions League, with the Hoops winless in five alongside two draws. Even though it's a dead rubber match for Ange Postecoglou's side, they have the chance to end their UCL stint on a high note against the reigning European champions.
After failing to win their last two games in the group, Los Blancos must win against Celtic to confirm the top spot in the group, so Carlo Ancelotti is expected to name a strong side against the Hoops. The reverse fixture between the two sides saw the Spanish side win 3-0 at Celtic Park in the first Champions League game of the season.
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Callum McGregor will miss the clash in Spain, whilst Jota could return to the starting XI after making his return to action on the weekend. Cameron Carter-Vickers hasn't travelled with the squad, meaning the American will be absent.
So, how could the Hoops perform in their final game of the Champions League campaign? We used FIFA 23 to try and predict the score, and this is what happened!
Real Madrid vs Celtic score predicted by simulation
We predict that the hosts could set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Alaba, Mendy; Modric, Tchouameni, Kroos; Valverde, Benzema, Vinicius Jr.
We predict that the Hoops could set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Hart; Juranovic, Welsh, Jenz, Taylor; O’Riley, Hatate, Mooy; Jota, Furuhashi, Abada.
The first half in Madrid was very even in parts, but as expected, Celtic were doing most of the defending as Los Blancos camped in their half of the pitch. Karim Benzema and Federico Valverde both had chances to send the hosts ahead, but it was Vinicius Junior who grabbed the opening goal just before the break.
Some good link-up play down the right between Dani Carvajal and Valverde saw the latter break into the box with plenty of support. Valverde dragged his shot across the box and into the path of Vinicius at the back post, leaving the Brazilian the simple task of firing past Joe Hart at his near post.
Celtic produced a decent display in Madrid, with some good chances falling to the Hoops. Kyogo Furuhashi missed a few opportunities with wayward shots, but Postecoglou's side came closest just before the 80th minute through Aaron Mooy.
The midfielder advanced into the box unmarked as Jota worked his way down the left, and the winger found Mooy with a pass through the legs of his defender. The Australian had plenty of time to pick his spot, but his shot was sent high of the goal, not troubling the 'keeper.
Celtic were unable to find an equaliser as the clash ended 1-0 to Real Madrid.
FIFA 23 predicted final score: Real Madrid 1-0 Celtic
Here are the full-time match stats.
FIFA 23 predicts that a poor display in front of goal from Celtic could see a result evade the Hoops in Spain, losing 1-0 to Real Madrid. With just a 14% shot accuracy, Celtic missed the chance to end their Champions League campaign on a high after a respectable defensive display.
What do you think the score will be between Celtic and Real Madrid tonight? Let us know in the comments!
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