The CHAMPIONS LEAGUE fixtures are out!
Celtic take on Real Madrid, Rb Leipzig and Shakhtar Donetsk in the group stages of Europe’s elite competition and now we know when and where.
- Celtic v Real Madrid (Sept 6, KO: 8pm)
- Shakhtar Donetsk v Celtic (Sept 14, KO: 5.45pm)
- RB Leipzig v Celtic (Oct 5, KO: 5.45pm)
- Celtic v RB Leipzig (October 11, KO: 8pm)
- Celtic v Shakhtar Donetsk (October 25, KO: 8pm)
- Real Madrid v Celtic (Nov 2, KO: 5.45pm)
The European champions visit on Matchday one in what will be a spectacular open to the group.
If you’re wondering why the fixtures seem a little bit off, it’s because the group stages have had to be condensed somewhat because the World Cup is on at the end of the year.
The Hoops will be looking to give the Champions League a proper go to see where they are as a team. To get a result off of Madrid will be very difficult, but at home against Leipzig and Shakhtar we should be looking to come away with wins and see where it takes us. Nothing is guaranteed and we know the team will need to be on top of their game to get out of this group in either second or third place.
A lot of Champions League groups are pretty much decided by matchday 4-5 with regards to progressing in the CL and dropping down to the EL, so we need to be on fire for the first of them.
Its a tough start too, hosting the Champions followed by 2 away trips, so to give ourselves any chance of progression in Europe for the new year, we need to take points from these fixtures!
…no pressure!