Celtic are all set to take on German giants Borussia Monchengladbach in their third game of the UEFA Champions League group stage on Wednesday at Celtic Park. With Barcelona and Manchester City alongside the two giants also in the group, this was always going to be the group of death and has not disappointed us thus far. Celtic started their Champions League campaign with a 7-0 humiliation at the hands of Barcelona whereas Gladbach started their own campaign with a heavy 4-0 loss against Manchester City.
Celtic silence their critics with a much-improved display against mighty Manchester City in their second game of the Champions League group stage salvaging a 3-3 draw. Gladbach, in their second game, gave Barcelona a good run for their money. They took a 1-0 lead pretty early in the game and pressed the Blaugrana very hard but eventually surrendered to the quality of the Catalan giants as the game ended 2-1 in Barcelona’s favour. Celtic vs Borussia Monchengladbach- this will be an exciting game and could prove to be the third-place decider.
Celtic cannot afford to take Andre Schubert’s boys lightly. Here are three Gladbach players Rodgers has to be wary of.
Mahmoud Dahoud
With the interest he is attracting from a number of top European clubs, Dahoud’s quality is pretty evident. Just 20 years of age, Dahoud has established himself as one of the biggest talents in world football. For his tender age, it is a big surprise to see how mature Dahoud is. An excellent passer of the ball, the German boasts an amazing ability to control the game and cover each blade of grass on the pitch. Celtic have to ensure that they do not let the youngster have too much possession of the ball.
Lars Stindl
The 28-year-old plays a key role for Gladbach no just with his midfield abilities but also by leading the side with the armband on. The German attacking midfielder already has 2 goals and one assist to his name from 7 Bundesliga games this season.
Stindl is likely to start as the most advanced midfielder in a 3-5-2 formation and play as the heat of everything creative for the team. Celtic have to nullify the former Hannover star’s impact on the game.
Andre Hahn
With Raffael and Josip Drmic out with injuries, Andre Hahn will be the key forward for the German side. Hahn is a clinical finisher and his pace could cause trouble to veteran Kolo Toure. Even though Hahn has not been in a good form this campaign, he is always a big threat with his hold-up play and lovely positioning.
Celtic need to be defensively solid in order to win this game as Gladbach are an extremely adventurous side. Celtic, therefore has to deal with the threat posed by Hahn.
