Consummate away display shows Celtic can sweep aside Astana
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The dynamic combo of Patrick Roberts and Leigh Griffiths combined for the Hoops’ equaliser in their impressive away draw in the first leg of their Champions League clash with Astana. And Celtic’s impressive form – combined with their opponents away day woes – signals a home win for Brendan Rodgers’ men.
The Glasgow giants have impressed since last month’s blip in Gibraltar, dominating possession in Astana, and matching English champions Leicester City over 90 minutes in the International Champions Cup.
It’s a run which has seen Griffiths continue his sensational goalscoring form from last season, with the 25-year-old netting in three of his last four outings, while Roberts and young centre-back Eoghan O’Connell have also impressed greatly and found themselves amongst the goals.
However, there’s a similarly more compelling case for Celtic victory in their opponents’ European away woes.
Astana have failed to win any of their last eight away games on the continent, while multiple away defeats in the Kazakhstan Premier League have threatened their title challenge, despite a near-perfect home record.
That’s a real contrast to the Old Firm outfit, who boast six home wins from their last ten European outings, while the Hoops boss led former club Liverpool to European victories over the likes of Udinese, Swiss heavyweights Young Boys and former UEFA Cup winners Zenit St Petersburg.
With that in mind, Celtic look the best bet for victory on the night at 8/13, while the draw is 11/4 and 19/4 for an unlikely Astana win.
However, the best value could lie elsewhere. That’s because there’s 5/2 on offer for Roberts to score and Celtic to win, an event which has happened in four of the Hoops’ last five games.
And a repeat of the 3-0 victory over Lincoln at Celtic Park could also prove popular, with 11/1 for Rodgers’ men to match that margin again.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
