Analysis: Celtic Glasgow - Atletico Madrid

60 682 fans will turn out at Celtic Park on Wednesday night to support the Celts in the game against Atletico Madrid. Only victory will bring the UK team closer to the advance in Group I.

Classification and team’s condition:
Group I has very equal teams. Next to Celtic and Atletico there is also Italian Udinese and French Stade Rennes. The leaders of the group are Italians and Spaniards (7 points each). The Scots have two points less than the leaders, and in case the British team wins, Rennes will also join the struggle for the advance.

Potential and team’s situation:
If we analyze the condition of both teams the Glasgow club will be the only favorite of this match. Celtic is the vice champion of the Scottish Premier League, where it won 4 games in a row. The Green and White can boast a balance at their own stadium (6-1-1). At this stage of the Europa League the hosts has earned only 4 points (1: 1 against Udinese, 3-1 against Rennes). We would like draw your attention to the defense game of Neil Lennon, they lost only 4 goals mainly thanks to Fraser Forster, the Celtic goalkeeper. If the local team is thinking about the advance they need to attack effectively. It seems that the match will be held at the perfect moment for them, as Gary Hooper and Emilio Izaguirre (the Honduran) are not very good at defense, and the central midfielder Scott Brown is not just a pillar of the Scottish team, but also the brain of the Celts. Mohamed Bangura will miss the game.
Gregorio Manzano, the head coach of Atletico, is in a worse situation. On Saturday the Madrid club disgraced itself in the derby against Real Madrid losing 4-1. The football players from the Vicente Calderon are playing really poorly this season in the away matches of both the Primera Division and the EL. With the exception of Falcao and Adrian the other players do nothing in the attack, there is nothing interesting in the defense too.

History of the meetings:
Celtic and Atlético have met five times. The Scots have never won against the Los Colchoneros. It should be noted that only one match out of 5 ended up with more than 2.5 goals.

Tips and justifications:
Neither team made a thrilling show in the first game. It should be noted that the players of both teams scored only 10 goals in the opponent's gate. Analyzing Atletico Madrid’s condition in away matches and the weak performance of the team, the option under 2.5 deserves our attention, especially given the fact that Scott Brown, the main striker, will miss the game.