Real Madrid vs Celtic Predictions & Match Preview

Real Madrid vs Celtic predictions and match preview for Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League fixture. Read on for analysis and predicted lineups as Los Blancos target top spot in the group.

Real Madrid vs Celtic Preview

Real Madrid are the only Spanish side left standing in the Champions League after a disastrous few weeks for LaLiga in Europe’s elite competition. They are already through to the last 16 but are keen to secure top spot in the group here by seeing off Celtic.

That could help them secure a more favourable draw in the next round and Carlo Ancelotti will also want to see a response after two disappointing results. They suffered their first defeat of the season in any competition last week in Leipzig, going down 3-2 against the German side who are only a point behind them now in Group F. That means only a win here will absolutely guarantee a 1st place finish for Los Blancos.

Real Madrid were in action at the Santiago Bernabeu at the weekend but were held to a 1-1 draw by lowly Girona. This is clearly a little bit of a sticky patch for Los Blancos who aren’t playing their best football and are still struggling for clean sheets which has been a bit of a trend throughout the campaign. They should at least be able to welcome back Karim Benzema here with the Frenchman not risked against the Catalans at the weekend following an injury.

These sides met on the opening matchday in Glasgow. Celtic impressed many with their football that day and were competitive for long periods before ultimately being outclassed by the European champions. It has since developed into a tough campaign for the Scottish side though with just 2 points from 5 games ensuring they will finish bottom of this group regardless of the result here.

Nonetheless, Celtic will be backed by a big following in Madrid and they’ll want to put on a performance for their travelling fans. Ange Postecoglou’s side are going well domestically with 11 wins from 12 league games this term and they were comfortable 3-0 winners at Livingston at the weekend. They might not have expected to advance from this group but they’d certainly have hoped to have at least been in the running for 3rd going into this game with no European football after Christmas this year for the Glaswegian outfit.

Possible Lineups

Real Madrid: Courtois – Mendy, Alaba, Militao, Carvajal – Modric, Tchouameni, Kroos – Vini, Benzema, Valverde (4-3-3)

Celtic: Hart – Taylor, Jenz, Carter-Vickers, Juranovic – Hatate, O’Riley – Jota, Haksabanovic, Abada – Giakoumakis (4-2-3-1)

Score Prediction: Real Madrid 3-1 Celtic

Real Madrid haven’t been at their best of late and you always feel like there is a chance they will concede a goal so there is hope for Celtic here if they can play as well as they did on matchday 1. However the hosts have so much individual quality that they should still get the win they need to win the group.

PLEASE NOTE – Our European predictions are not betting tips! No profits are guaranteed if you’re using them to bet on Spanish teams playing in Europe. If you are gambling, do so responsibly and never stake more than you can afford to lose. BeGambleAware.