AFTER a brilliant weekend, Willie Duncan (@Willie_Duncan) returns with views on Celtic's latest Champions League match.
Borussia Monchengladbach v Celtic | Tuesday 19:45 | BT Sport
On two occasions so far this season, I’ve stuck up for Celtic ahead of crucial Champions League matches against Barcelona and Borussia Monchengladbach respectively and on two occasions, the Hoops have let me down – badly.
So, will I be backing Brendan Rodgers’ side for a third time when they travel to Germany to face Andre Schubert’s side again? Certainly not, because it’s nigh on impossible to make a case for the Scottish champions ahead of Tuesday’s tussle.
Celtic have shown – on occasion – that they can rise to the occasion and a point was the least that Rodgers’ side deserved on the back of a superb performance against Manchester City at Celtic Park last month.
The problem is that those occasions – and they have been increasingly few and far between in recent years – almost certainly never occur away from home.
The Hoops have not won any of their last six Champions League matches away from Glasgow’s east end and I’m anticipating another miserable night for the Hoops when they travel to take on Monchengladbach.
The boys from the Bundesliga were supremely comfortable as they cruised to a 2-0 win at Celtic Park and the bad news for Rodgers’ men is that Schubert’s charges are usually even more confident on home turf.
Only Barcelona have breached the Borussia Monchengladbach defensive unit in the last five matches that the Germans have played on home soil; indeed, the hosts have lost just one of their last 15 competitive matches on their own patch.
Furthermore, Schubert’s team come into this contest on the back of four clean sheets from their last five matches and that defensive discipline could well prove pivotal for Monchengladbach in this match.
The Hoops have managed just a single goal in their last six games on the road in the Champions League and, following that dismal capitulation at Celtic Park last month, the Scottish Premiership leaders may struggle to make much of an impact in this tie either.
As such, it’s the 8/5 quote on offer from BetVictor for the Germans to win to nil that offers plenty of appeal ahead of Tuesday’s tussle.
Best Bets
Borussia Monchengladbach v Celtic – Borussia Monchengladbach to win to nil (8/5 BetVictor)
