Celtic v Leipzig facts
Monday, October 29, 2018
Article summary
Celtic have lost their last two Group B games as Leipzig, who won 2-0 in Germany last time out, come to Glasgow.
Article top media content
Article body
Beaten 2-0 at RB Leipzig on matchday three, Celtic host the German club in Glasgow knowing that they can ill afford another defeat if they are to keep alive their hopes of qualifying from UEFA Europa League Group B.
• Both clubs had recorded a victory against Rosenborg and a defeat against Salzburg prior to their first head-to-head in Germany – a match settled in the home side's favour by goals from Brazilian striker Matheus Cunha and Portuguese winger Bruma.
• If Leipzig complete the double over Celtic, they would be through to the round of 32 should Rosenborg fail to beat leaders Salzburg in the other Group B encounter. Celtic will be out if they lose and Salzburg avoid defeat.
Previous meetings
• The two teams had never met in UEFA competition prior to matchday three, when Leipzig faced Scottish opponents for the first time.
• Celtic have won only three of their 23 matches against German opposition (D5 L15) and none of the last ten (D3 L7). Furthermore, they have lost six of 11 at home including each of the last three. Their last victory was 3-1 against VfB Stuttgart in the fourth round of the 2002/03 UEFA Cup.
Form guide
Celtic
• Celtic won the Scottish treble of Premiership, Scottish Cup and League Cup for the second successive season in 2017/18, but they were unable to secure a hat-trick of UEFA Champions League group stage appearances this term, their elimination of Rosenborg followed by defeat to AEK Athens. A 4-1 aggregate victory over Lithuanian champions Sūduva in the UEFA Europa League play-offs maintained Celtic's post-summer interest in Europe.
• This is Celtic's fifth season in the UEFA Europa League group stage. Three of their four previous campaigns have ended in elimination, the exception 2014/15, when they reached the round of 32. They also got to that stage of the competition last season after finishing third in their UEFA Champions League group, but lost to Zenit.
• The Glasgow club are unbeaten in continental contests at Celtic Park in 2018 (W5 D1), their matchday one victory over Rosenborg (1-0) ending a ten-match winless run in European group stage fixtures (D2 L8).
Leipzig
• Leipzig finished sixth in the 2017/18 Bundesliga to make it two European qualifications in a row, their debut continental campaign having ended in the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals – eliminated by Marseille – after they finished third in their UEFA Champions League group.
• Having defeated Häcken of Sweden and Romania's Universitatea Craiova in the first two qualifying rounds this season, Leipzig needed a last-gasp penalty from Emil Forsberg to win their play-off 3-2 on aggregate against Ukrainian club Zorya Luhansk.
• Leipzig are unbeaten away from home in Europe this term, their 3-1 win at Rosenborg on matchday two following three successive draws in the UEFA Europa League qualifying phase. Their away record in two seasons of European competition is W3 D4 L3.
Links and trivia
• Forsberg and Celtic's Mikael Lustig are fellow Swedish internationals.
• Marvin Compper joined Celtic from Leipzig in January 2018, although his Hoops career has been severely restricted by injury.
• Odsonne Edouard (Celtic) and Dayot Upamecano (Leipzig) played together for the France side that won the 2015 UEFA European Under-17 Championship in Bulgaria, with Edouard scoring a hat-trick in the final – a 4-1 victory against Germany.
• Upamecano and Jean-Kévin Augustin are team-mates of Celtic's Olivier Ntcham at Under-21 level for France.
• Bruma scored past Celtic goalkeeper Craig Gordon in Portugal's 3-1 friendly win against Scotland in Glasgow last month.
The coaches
• Celtic's Northern Irish boss Brendan Rodgers retired early as a player but made his name in management at Swansea, steering the Welsh club into England's top flight before leaving for Liverpool in June 2012. He led the Reds to a Premier League runners-up spot in 2013/14 but was dismissed in October 2015, resurfacing at Celtic, where he won the Scottish treble with an undefeated record in his first season. All three trophies were successfully defended in 2017/18, making Rodgers the first Hoops manager to win the 'Double Treble'.
• Ralf Rangnick returned as RB Leipzig coach in the summer of 2018, having held the position in 2015/16 when he led the club into the Bundesliga. He has been the club's sporting director since 2012, his appointment having come after a premature departure from Schalke, where he was working for the second time following a highly successful sojourn at Hoffenheim during which he secured back-to-back promotions. He is set to be replaced as Leipzig coach by current Hoffenheim boss Julian Nagelsmann in 2019.