Celtic v Barcelona Betting Tips

Celtic v Barcelona has become somewhat of a cult European classic over the last few years with some feisty and famous matches contested between the two. Barcelona currently top Group C and can almost guarantee top spot with a victory at Celtic Park whilst Celtic are bottom and are looking to fight for the Europa League place with Borussia Monchengladbach.

Of course the previous meeting between these two sides finished in a 7-0 thrashing by Barcelona but this match should be a bit closer.

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers was furious with the way his side wilted in that 7-0 defeat at the Nou Camp and will hope that they will compete a lot better on Wednesday night.

The Hoops are yet to win in the group stage so far this season but managed to pick up big points against Manchester City and Borussia Monchengladbach – a game they really should have won.

Of course people will write off Celtic in this match but the Scottish champions have had some good historic results against Barca in the past, such as their 2-1 win back in 2012, and will take confidence from that.

The jump between the Scottish Premiership and the Champions League is certainly a big one for Brendan Rodgers’ team. In their domestic league they are currently ten points clear and are yet to lose this season, scoring 35 goals and conceding just eight in 12 matches with just the one set of points dropped this campaign when they drew against Inverness in September.

In fact, such is the gap they have opened up that second place Aberdeen are almost as close to the relegation spots as they are to catching Celtic.

Of course, facing such a giant as Barcelona, league form goes out the window for Celtic. However, it would be dangerous to completely write them off.

Barca were shocked by Manchester City in the recent round of European fixtures but are still top of the group thanks to victories in their other three matches. Having said that, they are still top of Group C by two points and will be pretty confident about securing third spot come the final standings.

Unfortunately for the Catalonians it is a different story in La Liga where they sit second and a pretty big four points off top spot and historic rivals Real Madrid. However, luckily for them form has picked up recently with four wins from their last five matches in the league.

Things are certainly looking a bit brighter for Luis Enrique’s side, although there is still a lot of work to do.

Although Barcelona are arguably the biggest club in the world, they are not stupid enough to underestimate Celtic and will certainly go about their job in a professional manner on Wednesday, especially considering what happened in their last European match away from the Nou Camp.

Obviously we are all expecting Barcelona to win and it would certainly be a bit foolhardy to suggest otherwise. However, there is romance about this fixture at Celtic Park and I expect the home side to really be up for it.

The first bet to go for here is ‘Both Teams to Score‘ at 10/11. Although not the biggest price, this bet still represents some decent value. Te hosts are rarely seen failing to score at home and, against a side who’ll leave plenty of space in behind, they’ll certainly get chances here. Additionally, Barca have only kept two clean sheets in their last five outings.

Secondly, the ‘Anytime Goalscorer‘ double of Messi and Suarez, at 2/1, is very appealing. With this sort of bet and Barcelona it is basically a take your pick from Neymar or Suarez alongside Messi. I have gone with Suarez as he is in the better form right now. The Uruguayan striker was suspended at the weekend and should be fresh for this match against Celtic, against whom he has a good record, and I fancy both him and Messi to use their magic against their Scottish opponents.

Finally, ‘Over 3.5 Goals’ is another way to play this one. Although I expect Celtic to do well, at least better than they did in Spain, it’s hard to see Barcelona not hurting them and the gulf in class will surely come to the fore. Whilst the home side may do well, and even shut Barcelona out for periods, I think they will eventually tire which will allow Barca to put them to the sword in quite emphatic fashion.

See more Champions League tips here.