Roar Guru
Tom Rogic’s Celtic hosts Serie A leaders Juventus in what should be a tight UEFA Champions League round of 16 encounter in Glasgow. Join us for live scores and commentary from 6.45am AEDT.
Celtic has punched above its weight thus far in the Champions League and will need to do so again if they are to secure a positive result against Juventus.
The Scottish giants qualified second in the group phase behind FC Barcelona and ahead of Portuguese giants Benfica.
Celtic’s tremendous 2-1 victory over Barcelona in Glasgow during the group stages allowed them to secure qualification to the Round of 16.
Neil Lennon’s men remain undefeated at home in the Champions League, which speaks volumes about Celtic’s ability to rise to the occasion when in Glasgow.
They will certainly need to be at their best against a Juventus team that topped a tough group, containing reigning Champions League winners Chelsea and Ukraine giants Shakhtar Donetsk.
Prediction
If there is one player Celtic will be keen to shut down tonight, it is midfield maestro Andrea Pirlo.
Like a fine wine, Pirlo has gotten better with age and ranks comfortably alongside Xavi as the world’s best playmaker.
If Pirlo is allowed to dominate, Juventus simply possess too much class for Celtic to handle, with Arturo Vidal and Fabio Quagliarella the players most likely to benefit from Pirlo’s passing precision.
Celtic, however, will not be overawed by the occasion, given they defeated passing masters Barcelona at home last year during the group stages.
The Scottish giants will flood the midfield in a bid to put Pirlo off his game, and if they are successful Celtic will go a long way to nullifying a dangerous Juventus attack.
Celtic also possess dangerous players of their own, with Georgios Samaras and James Forrest capable of causing trouble if given the space to do so.
While Celtic certainly deserve respect after their performances thus far, a fit and firing Juventus should possess enough class to secure a priceless away victory.
Juventus to win 1-0.