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Barcelona logo
Champions League | Group Stage
Dec 11, 2013 at 7.45pm UK
 
Celtic logo

6-1

Pique (7'), Pedro (40'), Neymar (45', 48', 57'), Tello (72')
FT(HT: 3-0)
Samaras (88')

Preview: Barcelona vs. Celtic

Sports Mole previews Wednesday's Champions League Group H clash between Barcelona and Celtic.

Barcelona welcome Celtic in the Champions League on Wednesday knowing that a point would be enough to secure top spot in Group H.

The Spanish champions have taken 10 points from their five group matches, but defeat in their final fixture could drop them to second in the section if AC Milan beat Ajax on the same evening.

The Catalan outfit were victorious in the reverse fixture in Scotland, but they needed a late header from Cesc Fabregas to collect all the points in a tight affair.

The La Liga leaders will also enter the match boasting an impressive home record in this competition, having lost just one of their last 24 European games at Camp Nou.

Celtic, meanwhile, will finish bottom of Group H regardless of their result in Spain. The Scottish outfit have taken just three points from their five matches, losing four times in the process.

The home side are still without the services of first-choice goalkeeper Victor Valdes, with the Spaniard out with a calf injury.

The match will also come too soon for Jordi Alba, while Lionel Messi will not return until 2014 as he battles to overcome a thigh injury.

Pedro is once more expected to start on the bench as speculation surrounding his future grows, meaning that Neymar, Fabregas and Alexis Sanchez will line up in a three-man attack.

Meanwhile, Celtic boss Neil Lennon has no fresh injury concerns ahead of the clash. Anthony Stokes is expected to be joined in attack by Georgios Samaras, while Kris Commons, fresh from his double against Motherwell in the league at the weekend, will start in midfield.

Recent form

Barcelona: WWLLW

Celtic: WWLWW

Possible starting lineups

Barcelona: Pinto; Alves, Pique, Mascherano, Adriano; Busquets, Xavi, Iniesta; Neymar, Fabregas, Sanchez

Celtic: Forster; Izaguirre, Mulgrew, Lustig, Ambrose; Brown, Ledley, Commons, Pukki; Stokes, Samaras

Sports Mole says: 3-0


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Celtic midfielder Kris Commons celebrates after a goal against Shakhtar Karagandy on August 28, 2013
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League Phase

TeamPWDLPTS
1Liverpool440012
2Sporting Lisbon431010
3Brest431010
4Inter Milan431010
5Monaco431010
6Barcelona43019
7Dortmund43019
8Aston Villa43019
9Atalanta42208
10Juventus42117
11Lille42117
12Man City42117
13Arsenal42117
14B. Leverkusen42117
15Celtic42117
16Dinamo Zagreb42117
17AC Milan42026
18Bayern42026
19Benfica42026
20Feyenoord42026
21Real Madrid42026
22Brugge42026
23Atletico42026
24PSV41215
25Sparta Prague41124
26Stuttgart41124
27PSG41124
28Shakhtar41124
29Girona41033
30Salzburg41033
31Bologna40131
32RB Leipzig40040
33Sturm Graz40040
34Young Boys40040
35Red Star40040
36Slovan Bratislava40040


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