Group leaders Real Madrid welcome already-eliminated Celtic to the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday night, looking to secure the top spot in Group F with a win over the Scottish side with kickoff at 8:45 pm.
After drawing 1-1 with Girona on Sunday, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti celebrated wildly on the sidelines—and with good reason.
Vinicius Junior had given the defending champions the lead with a goal in the 70th minute after he bundled home a Federico Valverde cross.
However, Cristhian Stuani converted from the penalty spot in the 80th minute to earn Girona a point against their illustrious visitors.
Real Madrid then had a goal disallowed in the match’s dying moments when Rodrygo kicked the ball from Paulo Gazzaniga’s hands just before Toni Kroos received his first red card of his career.
Even though Celtic’s Champions League campaign is over, their domestic form continues to impress, as they made it 10 wins from 11 in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday.
Maintaining their four-point lead over Rangers at the top of the table, The Hoops strolled to a 3-0 win over Livingston, as Kyogo Furuhashi scored his eighth goal in 10 league appearances with an emphatic, left-footed finish.
Portuguese winger Jota also marked his return from injury with a goal, to record his 11th goal contribution in 13 appearances across all competitions this season.
Real Madrid vs. Celtic Head to Head
Both sides have two games against each other with the hosts taking the two wins. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Real Madrid 1-1 Girona
- RB Leipzig 3-2 Real Madrid
- Real Madrid 3-1 Sevilla
- Elche 0-3 Real Madrid
Away
- Livingston 0-3 Celtic
- Celtic 1-1 Shakhtar
- Hearts 3-4 Celtic
- Motherwell 0-4 Celtic
Real Madrid Team News
Real Madrid will be without Ballon D’or winner Karim Benzema for this one, as he continues to recover from muscular fatigue. After playing nine games during the month of October and with a tricky trip to Rayo Vallecano on the weekend, expect to see a few rotations to Carlo Ancelotti’s extremely competitive XI.
Celtic Team News
Callum McGregor will sit out the match with an injury, while Jota could make an appearance off the bench after returning from injury on Saturday. In addition, Swedish centre-back Carl Starfelt might appear on the bench after recovering from a knee injury.
Prediction and Odds
We anticipate a fine showing from Ancelotti’s men in the Champions League, moving on to the next round with a professional performance.
- Home Win
- Goals Over 1.5
- No Score: Away
