3 reasons Celtic can repeat historic UCL triumph over Barcelona
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November 7 2012 was a special day for Celtic fans, as Neil Lennon’s Bhoys overcame the mighty Barcelona with a stunning 2-1 victory in front of over 58,000 fans at an electric Parkhead.
But with our traders pricing another Celtic triumph at 9/1, the Ladbrokes News crew think there’s great value to be had – with plenty of reason to believe the Glasgow giants can repeat the feat. That’s because…
Dynamic Dembele can trouble Europe’s best
Celtic’s teen sensation has already notched up 16 goals since his Summer move to Parkhead. And any questions about his ability to trouble the continent’s top defences have been resoundingly answered by a brace against Manchester City and one at Borussia Monchengladbach.
The Frenchman is oozing confidence right now, and that’s reflected by the number of times he’s scored crucial goals in games.
His 92nd-minute goal against Astana guaranteed progression in the qualifying rounds, while he also secured the draw during the group stage in Germany and grabbed a winner in the dying minutes against Rangers at Hampden Park.
If Celtic find themselves level going into the latter stages, the former Fulham prodigy could well make the vital contribution, with 8/1 for him to be the last goalscorer tomorrow night.
Barca defence don’t travel well
Celtic’s attackers have plenty of reason to be confident of breaking down a Blaugrana defence who look lackluster on their travels.
Without a clean sheet in their last five away days, they’ve lost twice, conceding four times against La Liga also-rans Celta de Vigo, while their last trip to British shores ended with a miserable 3-1 defeat at Manchester City.
With the pace of Dembele and Patrick Roberts, as well as the guile and lethal finishing of players like Leigh Griffiths and Scott Sinclair, Celtic look well priced to score first at 3/1.
The Celtic Park buzz
“Celtic could beat [Barcelona], because the atmosphere at Parkhead on a European night is something else.” They were the words of Terry Butcher, when Ladbrokes News chatted with him recently. And when it’s a Rangers legend saying that, you know it must be rather special.
Indeed, while the Camp Nou is a fantastic arena, it’s no match for the noise and pageantry of a European night at Parkhead.
And that atmosphere seems to have overwhelmed Barca in the past, with the Hoops having won two of the last five meetings here, with the other games narrow victories for the Spaniards.
With Celtic flying right now, that victory stat may be three from six by tomorrow night. It’s 9/1 that they secure another memorable Champions League triumph, with 25/1 they win it 2-1 once again.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
