CELTIC face a daunting task to keep their UEFA Champions League dream alive as they need to go to Madrid and beat mighty Atletico in their own back yard.
You always suspected the Hoops would need a couple of big Parkhead wins to stand any chance of progressing from a tricky group that also includes Lazio and Dutch champions Feyenoord.
And while Brendan Rodgers' side took the lead against both the Serie A giants and Atletico Madrid in Glasgow, all they ended up with for their efforts was a solitary point.
But that 2-2 draw with Diego Simeone's side, in a game where a scorer bet landed for me, will give Celtic some hope heading to Spain as they outplayed Atleti for long spells.
Further encouragement arrived at the weekend when Simeone's men lost 2-1 at Las Palmas in La Liga, ending a nine-game unbeaten run. However, Atletico Madrid have been hugely impressive at the Metropolitano Stadium, winning all six matches there this season.
Those victories included a 3-1 derby mauling of Real Madrid and 3-2 Champions League victory over Feyenoord so it's clear Celtic will have to produce one of their greatest European performances to stand a chance.
The Champions League has mainly brought heartache for travelling Hoops fans, with just two away wins in the group stage in the last two decades, and it's hard to see that trend changing in Madrid.
How the bookies view it
Celtic have been written off and they are as big as 10/1 with Coral for a win in Madrid. Atletico's best price is just 1/3 at QuinnBet while the draw pays 49/10 at VBet.
Head to head
It's now seven games without a win for the Hoops in their clashes with Atletico, although three of those games have been draws. Atletico Madrid have won two of the three meetings in Spain, the latest coming with a 2-0 Europa League victory back in 2011.
Players to watch
Both of Atletico's superstar strikers scored in Glasgow and I cashed in by backing Antoine Griezmann for anytime scorer. But I'm going to switch to Alvaro Morata for this one, with the veteran scoring in his last three matches to make it 11 for the season. He's evens at Unibet to add to that tally.
Celtic's best chance of a goal might be a strike from distance and Luis Palma showed he has that skill in his locker with a stunning goal against Ross County at the weekend. The Honduran winger also scored against Atletico in Glasgow and is 8/1 at Bet365 for a repeat.
Anything else catch the eye?
Atletico Madrid have been renowned for having one of Europe's meanest defences under Simeone but that hasn't been the case this season, with just four clean sheets from their 14 games. We saw four goals when these sides met in Glasgow and this should be another thriller, with BTTS 15/14 at VBet and over 3.5 strikes paying 13/8 at Betfair.
I thought the clash in Glasgow would be spicy after the build-up focused on the “shame game” that saw Atletico pick up three red cards at Parkhead in the 1974 European Cup semi-final. Only one red card was flashed to an Atletico player this time but it was still a fiery game, with seven yellows also dished out.
Celtic cards look more likely this time, with Alastair Johnston and Liam Scales both good candidates as they mark quite tightly and sometimes dive in. The Canadian full-back is 21/10 at Unibet for a card while Scales is a little bigger at 13/5 with the same firm. Skybet also have a market for fouls and Johnston appeals at 13/8 for over 1.5 fouls, while the same bet pays 6/5 for Hoops winger Daizen Maeda.
Kyogo Furuhashi has scored in his last two Champions League outings and will lead the line for the Hoops. He's 21/20 at Unibet just to have a shot on target and that could be worth a punt.
This UEFA Champions League match between Atletico Madrid and Celtic will be played on Nov 7, 2023 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Atletico Madrid vs Celtic prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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