RB Leipzig Seeks Champions League Revival at Celtic Park

RB Leipzig previously secured a 2-0 victory at Celtic Park in October 2022. The upcoming Champions League fixture between Celtic and RB Leipzig is scheduled for Tuesday, 5 November, at Celtic Park, with a kick-off time of 20:00 GMT. Coverage will include live commentary on BBC Radio Scotland & Sounds, alongside text updates available on the BBC Sport website & app. The last time RB Leipzig and Celtic competed in the Champions League, Marco Rose had recently assumed the role of head coach, leading his team to two wins within a week. This included a 3-1 home triumph, swiftly followed by a 2-0 win at Celtic Park against Ange Postecoglou’s side in October 2022. This particular victory marked RB Leipzig’s inaugural success in Glasgow, contrasting with prior defeats against Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic in the 2018-19 Europa League and against Rangers in the second leg of the 2022 Europa League semi-final. Now, Rose returns to Celtic Park with his team in urgent need of a win to reinvigorate a Champions League campaign that is currently struggling. A challenging draw has contributed to RB Leipzig being one of six teams without points after three matches. Their results include an away loss to Atletico Madrid, squandering a lead at home against 10-man Juventus, and being narrowly defeated by Darwin Nunez and Liverpool on their home ground. Considering their upcoming schedule, which includes an away match against Inter followed by hosting Aston Villa, securing three points from this encounter is deemed essential for the visiting team. The question arises regarding their capacity to achieve this objective. Their European performances have sharply contrasted with their domestic season start, until Saturday. A 2-1 away defeat to Borussia Dortmund marked their first league loss and concluded the club’s impressive 19-game top-flight unbeaten streak, which extended from the previous campaign. Prior to the weekend, the 20 points accumulated in their initial eight matches represented their strongest start to a Bundesliga season, indicating they are a formidable opponent. However, they are not at full strength. Talented midfielder Xavi Simons, on loan from PSG after a standout season where he helped RB Leipzig achieve a top-four finish for the sixth consecutive year, is injured. German international full-back David Raum is also sidelined, and stylish French centre-back Castello Lukeba is also expected to be unavailable. Despite these injuries, a strong squad is necessary to compete at the top of the German league, and Celtic will still face numerous skilled players. Their robust league start has been underpinned by a solid and effective defence, having conceded only five goals since the loss in Dortmund. A key factor in this defensive strength has been the form of Hungarian international goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi, who helped limit the score on Saturday. Gulacsi sustained a severe knee injury when the teams met in Leipzig in 2022, which kept him out for 16 months. Having fought back to reclaim his position as number one, he will be aiming for a more positive experience in this match against Celtic. At the attacking end, a dual threat is posed by Belgium’s Lois Openda and young Slovenian Benjamin Sesko. This duo combined to give RB Leipzig the lead at the Westfalenstadion over the weekend and are likely to present challenges for Cameron Carter-Vickers and his teammates on Tuesday. Both players joined the club in the summer of 2023 and have made significant contributions, with Openda finishing last season with 28 goals. Sesko currently holds a slight lead with seven goals, having scored all three of his team’s Champions League goals, and Celtic will need to prevent him from adding to this tally.