Following an unbeaten run in their last three Champions League fixtures, Celtic will now prepare for a stern test in their European journey in a tough away assignment at Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday evening.
The Hoope sit three places and one point above their Croatian hosts in the 36-team UCL table, with both sides currently on course to enter the playoffs via the unseeded route.
Asides the qualifying rounds, which Celtic are all too familiar with – Tuesday’s visitors could now achieve something that no Celtic team has managed since 1986, going unbeaten in four successive matches in Europe’s premier competition.
It is impressive how Brendan Rodgers has led his side to a respectable five points from the last nine on offer in the league phase, masterminding a statement 3-1 home win over German giants RB Leipzig either side of a goalless draw with Atalanta BC and 1-1 stalemate with Club Brugge on matchday five.
Eight points from five games so far sees Celtic reside in 20th spot in the UCL table, which would provide access to the knockout round playoffs as an unseeded team, and such is the congested nature of the table that they are only two points off the coveted top eight.
Taking a look domestically, the reigning Scottish Premiership champions continue to sweep aside foes left, right, and center, most recently easing to a 3-0 triumph over Hibernian on Saturday to maintain their unassailable advantage at the top of the standings.
As Celtic did not sustain any fresh fitness woes in the beating of Hibernian, only Odin Thiago Holm – who is still working his way back from a calf injury – should be absent from Rodgers’s side on Tuesday due to injury.
Nicolas Kuhn was withdrawn at halftime in the success over Hibernian, but Rodgers confirmed that his premature change was for tactical reasons, and he should retain his place up front with Kyogo Furuhashi and Daizen Maeda.
The latter has already netted three times in the Champions League for Celtic this season; no Bhoys player since Joseph Craig in 1977-78 has managed to score four times in a single edition of Europe’s premier tournament.
As for hosts Dinamo Zagreb, their attacking endeavours have been harmed by an injury to experienced striker Bruno Petkovic, who is experiencing adductor pain and may not be able to lead the line in Tuesday’s tie.
Sandwiched in between their two losses to the German powerhouses is a pleasing set of European results – wins over Red Bull Salzburg and Slovan Bratislava and a stalemate with Monaco – putting them just inside the playoff places with seven points to their name.
However, Dinamo Zagreb’s domestic powers are also failing them at this juncture; a 1-1 draw with Slaven Koprivnica on Friday stretched their winless run in the Croatian top flight to four matches, and their overall run without success to five games in all tournaments.
A lack of penalty-box potency appears to be the root of their issues – the Blues have netted just once in their last four games – and there is nothing to split Dinamo Zagreb and Celtic on the head-to-head column; both sides have beaten the other three times apiece.
