Match Date: October 24, 2012 (Wednesday)
Match Time: 2:45 am (+08:00 GMT)
Venue: Camp Nou (HOME: Barcelona)
BET FOR BARCELONA @ 1.740!
Barcelona will host Scottish champions Celtic in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League match. Barcelona is first in the Group G table with six points from two wins. Celtic comes in at second with one win and one draw forming four points.
Barcelona have played past through rival Scottish side Celtic without losing in their past four Champions League matches. For the Catalan side, the Scots are relatively familiar foes, although changes in the past few years would definitely make their upcoming fixture quite unpredictable.
Argentine talisman Lionel Messi will be the undisputed front man for Barcelona. His 21st hat trick for Barça against Deportivo La Coruna during their previous La Liga match is no understatement to his massive attacking capabilities that earned him three Ballon d’Or awards and the label “best football player in the world”. While there is no question with the Catalans’ attacking forte, defensive problems might prove to be a counterbalance. Captain Carles Puyol, Gerard Pique and Dani Alves will not figure in the match due to injuries, effectively softening the club’s reputed hard-rock defence. Alex Song, Javier Mascherano and Adriano could come off as back line replacements, although all three players are relatively fragile.
Celtic will start with midfielders Kris Commons, Scott Brown and James Forrest. Georgios Samaras will play the starting striker role. Defence options remain unclear for the Scottish side, as injured defenders Kevin Wilson and Adam Matthews are under observation for potential fitness to play at Camp Nou.
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