In this Champions League preview Celtic look to register their opening win of the campaign at home to Manchester City, in the battle of Britain. In one of the ties of the round Atletico Madrid face Bayern Munich, in a match full of quality with both sides looking to continue their excellent form.
Celtic vs Manchester City – Wednesday 28th September 2016 – 19:45 - BT Sport
Celtic welcome Manchester City to Parkhead, in the second round of matches from this season's Champions League group stage games .
Brendan Rodgers side come into this match on the back of a 6-1 win against Kilmarnock at the weekend, with goals from Moussa Dembele (35, 38), Forrest (52) Griffiths (66), Sinclair (72) and Rogic completing the scoring in the 85th minute.
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This scoreline is made all the more incredible when you consider that Kilmarnock took the lead. Coulibaly opened the scoring in the 32nd minute and from then on Celtic never looked back.
This was an excellent result, to win in this fashion is and to get three points coming into this match will be massive for their confidence.
They went into the last game against Barcelona on the back of a thumping 5-1 win in the Old Firm match, they did succumb to a 7-0 thrashing in that match though.
Great Season So Far
They have enjoyed an excellent domestic season, they find themselves top of the Scottish Premiership with an unbeaten record so far.
Their last match in the Champions League was a 7-0 stuffing at the hands of Barcelona at the Camp Nou, with Moussa Dembele missing a penalty for the Hoops.
Goals from Lionel Messi (3, 27, 60), Neymar (50), A Iniesta (59) and a late double from Luis Suarez (75, 88) completed the scoring, a humiliating night for Celtic.
They will be wary of the threat posed by Manchester City, who in Kevin de Bruyne and Sergio Aguero have two players who can also rip their defence apart.
Hard Start For Celtic
Barcelona away was the hardest possible start for the Celtic, given that they left with a hefty defeat it will do little for their confidence going into this tie.
Celtic's main target this season will be to progress in Europe, given their group and their start it will be difficult to see them competing for anything other than a Europa League spot.
Given how bad Ronnie Delia's record was in Europe a Europa League challenge would be a significant improvement.
Celtic are 15/2 with Leigh Griffiths at 9/1 to open the scoring.
Manchester City come into this game on the back of a 3-1 win away against Swansea in the Premier League.
Goals from Sergio Aguero (9, 65 pen) and R Sterling (77) were enough to see City register their 10th successive win this season.
Swansea did level at 1-1 with an excellent finish from Fernando Llorente but City were too much in the end for the Swans.
They find themselves top of the Premier League by a distance, with a four point gap over London side Tottenham.
Great Season So Far
Such has been their dominance that they not only have the 4 point cushion, but that is effectively 5 with their +13 goal difference.
To have that after just six games is incredible, with Guardiola working wonders at his new club.
They have won all ten of their games in all competitions including their Champions League qualifiers.
Another Great Season Ahead?
They did make serious progress under Manuel Pellegrini last season, where they made it to the semi-finals of the tournament, only to be knocked out by Real Madrid over two legs.
Considering their resources the last 16 will be a minimum requirement and depending on how the games against Barcelona go, it will be a great indication of where City are at under Pep.
City won their opening fixture 4-0 against Borussia Monchengladbach a fortnight ago.
A hat-trick from Sergio Aguero (8, 28 pen, 77) and a smart finish from Kelechi Iheanacho (90+1), helped City register an excellent opening win.
City go into this match as overwhelming favourites, with the Hoops still reeling from their 7-0 hammering at the hands of Barcelona.
Manchester City are 1/3 with Sergio Aguero at 9/4 to score first.
Atletico Madrid vs Bayern Munich – Wednesday 28th September 2016 – 19:45 - BT Sport
Atletico Madrid welcome Bayern Munich to the Vicente Calderon, in the second round of matches from this season's Champions League group stage games.
This is one of the great ties in the Champions League, with one of two mouth-watering ties between Spain and Germany, with Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund also playing this week.
Atleti come into this match on the back of a 1-0 win against Ingolstadt, with a 70th-minute goal from main man Antoine Griezmann settling the tie.
This was an excellent result, to keep a clean sheet and get three points coming into this match will be massive for their confidence.
Great Season So Far
They have also enjoyed a good start to the season, they find themselves third in La Liga, along with Real Madrid and Villarreal they are unbeaten.
Their last match in the Champions League was a 1-0 win against PSV, with Diego Simeone's men having to work hard for that victory.
A goal from Saul Niguez (43) was enough to win the match, the two sides have a recent history of completely cancelling each other out.
Hard Start For Atletico
Atletico Madrid have endured a tough start and this fixture will not be any easier, with the Bavarian side one of the favourites to win the tournament.
Atletico are in excellent form, it is likely that the top two spots will be occupied by Bayern and Atletico, with PSV and Rostov left to scrap for the third spot.
Both sides were evenly matched when they last met, with Bayern winning the home leg and Atletico doing the same.
This match will be hard to call but despite home advantage Atletico are still the underdogs.
Atletico Madrid are 21/10 with Antoine Griezmann at 5/1 to open the scoring.
Bayern Munich come into this game on the back of a narrow 1-0 win away against Hamburg in the Bundesliga.
A late goal from Kimmich in the 88th minute was enough to settle the tie, with persistent attacking play enough to seal all three points.
They won their clash against Hertha Berlin 3-0 prior to that with goals from Frank Ribery (16), Thiago (68) and Arjen Robben (72).
Carlo Ancelotti's side find themselves top of the Bundesliga, with a 100% record from their opening five games.
Great Season So Far
The Bavarians have seemingly felt no ill effects after Guardiola's departure to Manchester City, with the appointment of Carlo Ancelotti proving to be a seamless transition.
They have yet to be beaten this season, they have also only conceded just the one goal from their opening five fixtures, which is an incredible stat.
It's no real surprise given the signing of Mats Hummels, with the former Dortmund player perfectly complimenting the likes of Neuer, Boateng, Lahm and Alaba.
Another Great Season Ahead?
Their last win in the Champions League saw Bayern demolish Rostov 5-0 at the Allianz Arena.
A Robert Lewandowski penalty (28),Thomas Muller (45+2), a double from Joshua Kimmich (53, 60) and a final goal from Juan Bernat (90) made it a comfortable night for Bayern.
This will give Bayern confidence heading into this match, particularly with their Bundesliga form currently, they remain one of the favourites to win the tournament.
They will be looking to make it two wins from two in this season's group stages, they will be looking to gain revenge on Atletico who dumped them out of last years Champions League.
Bayern Munich are 7/5 with Robert Lewandowski at 7/2 to score first.
Betting Tips
Tip 1 – Ageuro to score first @ 9/4 and Manchester City to win 3-1 @ 9/1
Tip 2 – Griezmann to score first @ 5/1 and a 2-2 draw @ 16/1