Key Statistics for Celtic v Club Brugge

Celtic and Club Brugge are scheduled to meet for the first time in their history. Celtic has previously faced Belgian opposition on eight occasions, playing against KAA Gent (one win, one loss), Germinal Ekeren (one win, one draw), and Anderlecht (two wins, two losses). In the current Champions League season, Celtic has secured two victories from four matches (one draw, one loss). This number of wins equals their combined total from their preceding four campaigns in the competition (two wins, six draws, sixteen losses). The team’s last instance of winning three games in a single season was in 2012-13. Club Brugge has registered only four goals across their last nine Champions League fixtures. However, two of these goals contributed to 1-0 victories, specifically against Sturm Graz on matchday two and Aston Villa on matchday four this season. All of Brugge’s most recent five wins in the competition have been achieved without conceding a goal. This season, Celtic has scored nine goals in four Champions League matches, which is their highest tally in a single season, tied with the 2012-13 campaign. The club last scored more goals in a European Cup campaign during the 1977-78 season, when they netted 13. In the current Champions League season, 47% of Club Brugge’s high-intensity pressures have occurred in the middle third of the pitch. This represents the highest percentage among all teams in the tournament, underscoring the Belgian club’s tactical emphasis on aggression in midfield zones (with only 20% of pressures taking place in the final third). Since the commencement of the 2022-23 season, Club Brugge has maintained a clean sheet in 58% of their Champions League matches. Among teams participating in more than one season, only Inter Milan, with 64%, has a higher percentage of clean sheets. Arne Engles has recorded three assists in his four Champions League appearances this season. This achievement places him as the joint-highest Celtic player for assists in a single season, alongside Charlie Mulgrew in 2012-13 and Matt O’Riley in 2023-24. The sole Belgian player to have achieved more assists in a single season is Kevin De Bruyne, who registered four in 2017-18, 2018-19, and 2020-21, and six in 2022-23.