Scottish champions Celtic have been drawn in Group E of this season’s Champions League group stage, which will see them face Atletico Madrid, Feyenoord and Lazio.
After finishing last in their group in the 2022/23 campaign, Celtic fans will be hoping the Bhoys can qualify for the knockout stages this season. Here is a look at their three opponents.
Atletico Favourites to Win the Group
Two-time runners-up Atletico Madrid are the odds-on favourites at 4/6 to win Group E in the betting on Champions League with Paddy Power. The Spanish side finished third in La Liga last season behind Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively.
Atletico are likely to be one of the leading Champions League betting tips this year as they have a strong pedigree in this competition. They have reached the knockout stages in nine of their last ten seasons.
Diego Simeone’s side have won two of their opening three La Liga games this season, scoring ten goals in those matches. In the summer, they added César Azpilicueta and Caglar Soyuncu, from Chelsea and Leicester respectively, to strengthen their defensive options.
Celtic last played Atletico Madrid in 2011 in the Europa League when Atletico prevailed 1-0 at Celtic Park, as documented in the BBC match report.
Feyenoord Enter as Dutch Champions
As last season’s Dutch champions, Feyenoord were in pot one with the top seeds in the Champions League draw. It is their first appearance in the Champions League since 2017. The last time they were in the competition they were in the same group as Manchester City, Shakhtar Donetsk and Napoli, and they finished last with three points.
Feyenoord lost just two matches in the Eredivisie last season. It left them seven points clear of PSV Eindhoven and 13 points ahead of Ajax, who had to settle for third place and a spot in the Europa League.
Brendan Rodgers will be targeting the games against Feyenoord as the ones where his side have the best chance of picking up maximum points. Although they came from pot one, they are arguably the weakest of Celtic’s three opponents.
When the two teams meet this season, it will be the first meeting since the 1970 European Cup final which Feyenoord won 2-1 at the San Siro in Milan.
Resurgent Lazio Back in Premier European Competition
Italian side Lazio are a club with a rich history in Europe. They finished second in Serie A last season, their best campaign in Italy since they won the title in 2000. That runner-up finish behind Napoli ensured they return to the Champions League.
One of Lazio’s notable signings over the summer was Japanese forward Daichi Kamada. He scored 16 goals in all competitions for Eintracht Frankfurt last season. The 27-year-old left the German club on a free contract after his contract expired.
Lazio are now without their star midfielder from the 2022/23 campaign, as Sergej Milinkovic-Savic departed to join Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia. He left as a two-time Lazio Player of the Season, and he helped the club to Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana success.
The Bhoys have won their two previous meetings with Lazio, with their last clash with the Italian club coming in 2019 in the Europa League at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
Celtic’s opening game of the group stage will come on either the 19th or 20th of September.