CELTIC will be looking to bounce back from their opening night defeat in the Champions League when they face Shakhtar Donetsk in Warsaw on Wednesday evening.
While Ange Postecoglou's side put in a spirited showing against Real Madrid last midweek, the reigning European Champions ran out well-deserved 3-0 winners in Glasgow's east end.
Following the postponement of all football matches in Scotland at the weekend, Celtic have had over a week to lick their wounds after being outclassed by Carlo Ancelotti's star-studded side.
However, Postecoglou and Co will have earmarked their next fixture with Shakhtar Donetsk as one where three points are crucial if they are to qualify from the group.
Igor Jovicevic's side kicked off their campaign in spectacular style as they romped to a 4-1 win away at RB Leipzig last Tuesday night.
The Ukrainian champions finished bottom of their Champions League group last season, but another victory here would put them in a strong position to reach the knockout round for the first time since 2017-18.
Outright Betting
Despite their resounding victory on Matchday One, Shakhtar Donetsk enter this contest as 11/5 (SBK) underdogs while a point apiece has been priced up at 5/2 (Bet 365).
Celtic, who have triumphed just one of their last five European away games, arrive in the Polish capital as 13/10 favourites with SBK.
Betting Angles
I suspect this clash could be closer than the 1×2 market suggests, so I'm going to steer clear of the outright betting and instead combine over zero Shakhtar Donetsk goals and Shakhtar Donetsk with a + 1 start on the handicap at 4/5 with William Hill.
Although the Ukrainian giants will not be playing in the familiar surroundings of their own stadium, they possess some excellent attacking players and they have the technical tools to create opportunities against Celtic.
What's more, the aforementioned 4-1 win away at Leipzig last midweek will have spirits sky high in the Shakhtar camp, not to mention Igor Jovicevic's side have won each of their last four matches across all competitions.
While Celtic's attacking credentials shouldn't be underestimated either, the Scottish kings have found clean sheets hard to come by on the continental stage in recent years, with Postecoglou's team posting just one shut out across their final nine European fixtures last term.
It's also worth pointing out that Celtic have failed to keep their sheets clean in each of their last 10 European assignments away from their Parkhead base, leaking multiple goals in all 10 of those tussles.
With all this in mind, coupled with the fact the aforementioned Bet Builder would have paid out in each of Celtic's last 10 European road trips, supporting the same wager on Wednesday evening stands out at 4/5 with William Hill.
Given that goals are usually on the agenda when Celtic are involved, I'll also take 9/10 on Over 2.75 Goals at 9/10 with Bet 365.
This selection would deliver a half-stakes profit should exactly three goals be scored with a full winner paid-out if the game generates four or more goals.
The Over 2.5 goal barrier has been breached in nine of the Bhoys' last 10 European fixtures, highlighting the appeal to support a high-scoring contest in the Polish capital.
This UEFA Champions League match between Shakhtar Donetsk and Celtic will be played on Sep 14, 2022 and kick off at 17:45. Check below for our tipsters best Shakhtar Donetsk vs Celtic prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
