Feyenoord - Celtic Tip 19-09-2023

The UEFA Champions League is back in our lives this week as we get ready for the group stage of the competition. Thirty-two of the biggest and best clubs from across Europe will come together in an attempt to make their push for a place in next year’s final in London. Today, we’ll be taking a look at what should be a fun encounter between Feyenoord and Celtic.

Feyenoord climbed back to the top of Dutch football last season by winning the Eredivisie, confirming that they are once again a team to be feared at the elite level. The big question now is whether or not they’ll be able to translate that over to the Champions League which, as we know, is easier said than done, and will require steady improvement in the coming months.

Feyenoord were slow to get started this season with draws against Fortuna Sittard and Sparta Rotterdam, but it’s safe to say they’ve made up for that ever since. They battered Almere City 6-1, dominated Utrecht 5-1, and then tore through Heerenveen 6-1 in three ruthless displays.

Celtic are a strange club and we don’t think that’s an outrageous thing to suggest. They are so often the kings of Scotland, but in Europe, they either massively let themselves down or they spring an upset out of the blue - there is no middle ground. With an away day like this, though, it’s hard not to get excited about what the boys from Glasgow could bring to the table.

After beating Ross County and Aberdeen, Celtic were knocked out of the League Cup in a bit of a shocker against Kilmarnock. They proceeded to drop points at home to St Johnstone in a 0-0 draw, before regaining some pride with wins over rivals Rangers and then Dundee.

Celtic need to try and impose themselves on the game because if they aren’t able to do that, they’ll struggle to really gain any kind of respect. Unfortunately, we just don’t feel like they’re overly capable of doing that on this sort of stage, which is why we’re favouring a Feyenoord win.