Two teams who have failed to qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League square off in their final Group E fixture on Wednesday night as Celtic play host to Feyenoord at Parkhead.
The Hoops will be seeking revenge against their Dutch counterparts after suffering a 2-0 defeat in the reverse fixture on matchday one in September.
Match preview
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Celtic's painful wait to reach the Champions League knockout rounds for the first time since 2012-13 goes on, as they have lost four and drawn one of their five Group E games this season to crash out at the group stage with a game to spare.
Brendan Rodgers's side were eliminated from Europe altogether when they suffered a 2-0 defeat at Lazio on matchday five a fortnight ago. Ciro Immobile came off the substitutes' bench to score twice for the hosts in the final eight minutes against the Hoops, who became the first-ever British club in Champions League history to put together a winless run of 15 matches.
Celtic, who are guaranteed to finish bottom of Group E, responded with back-to-back Scottish Premiership wins over St Johnstone and Hibernian, but they were unable to make it three wins out of three as they suffered a surprise 2-1 away defeat to Kilmarnock last weekend.
A 75th-minute own goal from Nat Phillips restored parity for Killie before an 87th-minute strike from Matty Kennedy turned the game on its head in dramatic fashion and condemned Celtic to their first league defeat of the season; the Hoops now sit five points clear at the top of the table, but second-placed Rangers have a game in hand.
Celtic are now seeking to salvage something positive from another miserable Champions League group-stage campaign and will endeavour to end a 12-game winless home run in the competition when they welcome Feyenoord to Glasgow on Wednesday – only FCSB (13 between 1996 and 2013) and Lille (13 between 2006 and 2021) have endured longer winless runs on home soil.
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Feyenoord's hopes of reaching the Champions League last 16 for the first time in their history were ended on matchday five, as their 3-1 defeat at home to Atletico Madrid coupled with Lazio's 2-0 victory over Celtic means that the Dutch outfit are guaranteed to finish third in Group E and will enter the Europa League playoffs.
Arne Slot's side were trailing by two goals heading into the final 15 minutes before Mats Wieffer pulled one back to set up an intriguing finish, but Atletico restored their two-goal cushion just five minutes later courtesy of a Santiago Gimenez own goal, condemning Feyenoord to their third defeat in Group E.
The Pride of Rotterdam responded with a 2-1 loss at home to PSV Eindhoven in the Eredivisie just a few days later, but they returned to winning ways last weekend when they beat FC Volendam 3-1 on home soil, with Gimenez and Igor Paixao scoring in the 94th and 96th minutes respectively to secure all three points in dramatic fashion.
Feyenoord, the reigning Eredivisie champions, currently sit second in the table and 10 points adrift of runaway leaders PSV, and while Slot's men will be keen to put together a strong run of form in an attempt to close the gap, they must first shift their attention to Wednesday's dead-rubber Champions League clash with Celtic.
Although there is little riding on this fixture with the Hoops, Feyenoord will be keen to end their seven-game winless away run in the Champions League. No Dutch side have ever lost eight in a row in Europe's premier club competition, but there is reason for Feyenoord to be optimistic of beating Celtic as they have won seven of their previous 11 European meetings with Scottish opposition.
Team News
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Celtic are still having to cope without Liel Abada (thigh), Daizen Maeda (knee), Reo Hatate and James McCarthy (both hamstring) due to injury, although the latter two could return to action at some stage later this month.
In-form midfielder Matt O'Riley, who has scored in each of his last three games, could be joined in the engine room alongside captain Callum McGregor and one of David Turnbull, Paulo Bernardo or Odin Thiago Holm.
Cameron Carter-Vickers missed the defeat at Kilmarnock due to a hamstring injury, but the American could return to the matchday squad on Wednesday, although it remains to be seen whether he will be fit to start, so Phillips may continue at centre-back alongside Liam Scales.
Kyogo Furuhashi will be pushing to start ahead of Oh Hyeon-gyu, while Yang Hyun-Jun and James Forrest are set to battle with Luis Palma and Mikey Johnston for a start on the flanks.
As for Feyenoord, Bart Nieuwkoop (muscle) and Quilindschy Hartman (concussion) are both unavailable for selection, while Alireza Jahanbakhsh is doubtful with an unspecified issue and will be assessed ahead of kickoff.
The absence of Hartman will likely see Marcos Lopez continue at left-back, joining David Hancko, Gernot Trauner and Lutsharel Geertruida in the back four, while Wieffer and Quinten Timber should once again link arms in centre-midfield.
In-demand striker Gimenez, who has scored 20 goals in just 19 appearances across all competitions so far this season, is set to lead the line, and the Mexican could be supported in the final third by Yankuba Minteh, Calvin Stengs and Igor Paixao.
Celtic possible starting lineup:
Hart; A. Johnston, Phillips, Scales, Taylor; O'Riley, McGregor, Turnbull; Yang, Furuhashi, Palma
Feyenoord possible starting lineup:
Bijlow; Geertruida, Trauner, Hancko, Lopez; Wieffer, Timber; Minteh, Stengs, Paixao; Gimenez
We say: Celtic 1-2 Feyenoord
Not only are Celtic keen to quickly put aside their disappointing loss to Kilmarnock last weekend, but the Hoops supporters are desperate to see their club claim their first Champions League home win in a decade to end the group stage on a high.
Celtic impressed on home soil against both Lazio and Atletico Madrid, albeit failing to win either match, and Feyenoord's poor away record in the Champions League bodes well for the hosts, but we believe that the form of goal machine Gimenez will inspire the visitors to victory in Glasgow.
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Top tip
Oliver Thomas
