Tuesday 6th December 2016 Kickoff: 1945hrs
Manchester City v Celtic
Football – Europe – Champions League
Incredibly, this week sees the final round of group stage matches in this season’s Champions League. It seems like barely any time has passed since both these teams were opening their campaigns back in September but they will close out this stage of the competition with very different paths ahead of them. City have already done enough to secure second place and qualify behind Barcelona for the last 16. Celtic, on the other hand, will finish bottom of the group and will only be playing for coefficient purposes along with pride. That said, if we can get a repeat of the game at Celtic Park then we could well be in for a treat.
City do not come into this match on the back of the result they would have been hoping for after losing 3-1 at home to Chelsea last Saturday. It was a game hyped as being between two teams with genuine title credentials and many people’s favourites for that accolade. Despite going a goal up in the first half, Pep Guardiola’s men were well beaten in the end and done themselves no favours for the upcoming matches with the nasty sending offs of both Sergio Aguero and Fernandinho in the latter stages. As they had already qualified and could finish no better than second in the section, it’s unlikely that Guardiola will change his strategy for this game but he may just be that little bit more motivated to ensure they finish the group off on a winning note and refocus minds ahead of their weekend fixture away to champions Leicester on Saturday evening. City will also be keen to continue their winning record at home in the Champions League where they have racked up six wins and two draws in their last eight games at the Etihad.
Celtic looked set to be on course for their first ever domestic defeat under Brendan Rodgers against Motherwell at the weekend as they went behind 2-0 and 3-2 before a rousing comeback ensured a 4-3 win and stretched their lead further at the top of the Scottish Premiership. The second half performance was a further indication of how much growth and development this team has went through in the six months that Rodgers had been at the club, and further illustration of their dominance of the Scottish game. European football has been much more challenging, of course, as you would expect when you compare the resources of the Scottish champions to the likes of City and Barcelona. Qualifying for the group stage was the main goal this term and that as achieved after three qualifying matches. Their chances of progressing any further were not helped when drawn in this section, and the writing was on the wall with a 7-0 thrashing away to Barcelona to kick off proceedings. To Celtic’s credit, though, they have turned in much more accomplished performances since that loss and could easily have a couple of wins on the board. As it is their two points have come at home to City and away to Borussia Monchengladbach – they’ll be hoping to add to that tally tonight.
Guardiola is expected to give many of his fringe players a run out this evening with a view to not only give some of the younger players in the squad further experience, but also allow his key players some rest after what has been a hectic first half of the campaign. Many of his squad have played two games a week since early August between domestic, European and international commitments and this dead rubber of a match presents an opportunity for a break ahead of what will be a chaotic festive period for the club as they bid to climb their way back to the top of the table. What the manager (and neutral) will be looking for from those who come in is the tempo to be right from the outset otherwise it could descend into something of a training game.
It would be a surprise if Rodgers plays anything other than his strongest team available for the game as he looks to lead his players to what would be a famous win. It may not mean anything in terms of qualification but it does provide an opportunity for his team to continue to grow at this level and build their coefficient rating which should mean an easier passage in future qualification campaigns. Celtic have plenty to look forward to between now and the end of the season but they will want to avoid a similar performance and result to that they experienced against Barcelona in the Nou Camp. There were plenty of positives to take from the 1-1 draw against Monchengladbach in their last away game and it will be about building on those.
Manchester City v Celtic Betting Tips
The 3-3 draw back in September between these two was arguably the game of the group stage and whet’s the appetite for tonight’s game. It’s sometimes difficult to get players motivated when there’s little meaning to the result but as it’s another clash between Scotland and England – and the fact that thousands of Celtic fans have travelled to Manchester – the atmosphere should help with the pace and tempo of the game. It’s a match that probably means more to the visitors as Rodgers will have his eye on developing his players further ahead of their next participation in the Champions League.
Defences were posted missing at times when they last met and neither were on top form at the weekend in their respective domestic matches when both shipped three. I envisage another entertaining game at the Etihad with City and Celtic both demonstrating they have plenty of options in attack throughout their seasons thus far. City’s last six games have all seen both teams scoring and Celtic certainly have enough to trouble them on Tuesday backed by their amazing supporters, and it was also a winning selection for the column back in September in the last meeting.
Both teams to score 8/11 @ Stan James
