MX23RW : Friday, November 29 10:01:00| >> :60:3310:3310:
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Celtic logo
Champions League | Group Stage
Oct 1, 2013 at 7.45pm UK
 
Barcelona logo

0-1

FT(HT: 0-0)
Fabregas (75')

Preview: Celtic vs. Barcelona

Sports Mole previews Tuesday's Champions League Group H clash between Celtic and Barcelona in Glasgow.

Celtic welcome Barcelona to Glasgow on Tuesday hoping that they can repeat last season's memorable victory over the Spanish outfit in the group stages of the Champions League.

The Scottish champions recorded a 2-1 win over Barcelona on November 7 last year, a result that proved to be key in their qualification for the knockout round of the competition.

Celtic will certainly have earmarked their home matches in Group H after opening their campaign with a 2-0 defeat to AC Milan on September 18. They have won seven of their last nine European fixtures in Glasgow, with the one defeat coming in the last-16 clash with Juventus last season.

The home side will enter the match on the back of a 5-2 win over Kilmarnock in the league at the weekend, a result that has left them in second position in the Scottish Premiership. Barcelona, meanwhile, top La Liga with a perfect record from their seven matches thus far.

The La Liga outfit were victorious in their opening group match on September 18 with a 4-0 win over Ajax. However, their record in Scotland is fairly patchy with just two wins and one draw from their six matches.

Celtic boss Neil Lennon could continue with the same side that performed impressively at the San Siro on matchday one with Anthony Stokes and Georgios Samaras both operating in forward areas.

Scott Brown is also expected to skipper the team from midfield, but Nir Biton and Teemu Pukki are both pushing for spots in the starting XI against the Spanish champions.

Barcelona, meanwhile, will be without Lionel Messi, who is expected to miss the next three weeks with a hamstring injury. Defensive pair Javier Mascherano and Jordi Alba are also both unavailable, meaning that Adriano and Marc Bartra should continue in the back four.

Cesc Fabregas is expected to be deployed in the centre of the Barcelona attack, with Neymar operating from the left. Alexis Sanchez and Pedro will once more fight it out for a place on the right for the Catalan outfit.

Recent form

Celtic: WLWLW

Barcelona: WWWWW

Possible starting lineups

Celtic: Forster; Matthews, Ambrose, Van Dijk, Mulgrew; Brown, Lustig, Izaguirre; Commons, Samaras, Stokes

Barcelona: Valdes; Alves, Pique, Bartra, Adriano; Busquets, Xavi, Iniesta; Neymar, Fabregas, Pedro

Sports Mole says: 1-3


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Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona celebrates with team-mate Cesc Fabregas after scoring the opening goal during the La Liga match between UD Almeria and FC Barcelona on September 28, 2013
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TeamPWDLPTS
1Liverpool550015
2Inter Milan541013
3Barcelona540112
4Dortmund540112
5Atalanta532011
6Arsenal531110
7Sporting Lisbon531110
8B. Leverkusen531110
9Brest531110
10Aston Villa531110
11Monaco531110
12Lille531110
13Bayern53029
14Benfica53029
15AC Milan53029
16Atletico53029
17Juventus52218
18Man City52218
19PSV52218
20Celtic52218
21Brugge52127
22Feyenoord52127
23Dinamo Zagreb52127
24Real Madrid52036
25Stuttgart51134
26Sparta Prague51134
27PSG51134
28Shakhtar51134
29Sturm Graz51043
30Girona51043
31Red Star51043
32Salzburg51043
33Bologna50141
34RB Leipzig50050
35Slovan Bratislava50050
36Young Boys50050


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