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Barcelona Vs. Celtic 2016 Champions League: Predictions, Preview, Probable Line-Ups, Live Streaming, TV Schedule, And Betting Tips

By Pradeep Nepal
Published on: 04:54 PST, Sep 11, 2016

Barcelona will welcome Celtic in the first game of the Champions League 2016/17 as the five-time winners of the competition looks to bounce back from a shock defeat in the La Liga this Saturday.

Date, Kick-Off Time, and Venue

The match will take place on September 13, 2016, at the Camp Nou. The kick-off takes place at 7:45 p.m. U.K. and 2:45 p.m. USA time.
Following are the starting time of the UCL game for various time-zones.

  • Pacific time: 11:45 a.m.
  • Kenyan time: 9:45 p.m.
  • UAE time: 10:45 p.m.
  • Indian time: 12:15 p.m.
  • Malaysia time: 2 a.m.

Barcelona: Team News and Preview

messi-neymar-suarez-the-holy-trinity
Messi, Neymar and Suarez- The Holy Trinity [Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images]

Barcelona, uncharacteristically, lost at home against La Liga newcomer Alaves, a match they were expected to steam-roll. Every Barcelona player was below his best in the game. Even a substitute Messi could not inspire Barcelona in the second half as Luis Enrique rotation backfired dreadfully.

In the 39th minute, Barcelona fell behind thanks to a clinical finish from Deyverson. However, just into a minute in the second half, Jeremy Mathieu equalized for the Blaugrana. Again, in the 64th minute, against the run of play, Alaves hero of the night, Ibai Gomez, struck a low shot past debutant goalie Cillessen to take all three points from the Camp Nou.

After the game, Enrique took full responsibility for the defeat. Now, he has to make his team respond against an ebullient Celtic side, who head into the game winning a derby game against their arch rivals Rangers.

Celtic: Team News and Preview

Celtic Striker Moussa Dembele celebrating his goal with teammates
Celtic Striker Moussa Dembele celebrating his goal with teammates [Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images]

Celtic won the match 5-1, courtesy of a hat-trick from Moussa Dembele. The Frenchman also set up a goal for his team, and confirmed Celtic has bragging rights against Rangers for some time to come.

Celtic forward Leigh Griffiths, who was absent from the Old Firm Derby on Saturday, will miss the opening Champions League group match, as reported by the BBC Sports.

The striker scored an astonishing 4o goals for Celtic last season, and his absence will surely reduce the chances of the Hoops to win at Barcelona.

Starting Line-Up

Barcelona Predicted Line-Up (4-3-3): Cillessen; Roberto, Pique, Mascherano, Alba; Busquets, Iniesta, Rakitic; Neymar, Suarez, Messi.

Celtic Predicted Line-Up (4-2-3-1): de Vries; Lustig, Toure, Sviatchenko, Tierney; Brown, Bitton; Forrest, Rogic, Sinclair; Dembele.

TV Schedule and Channel

The U.K. viewers can watch game on BT Sport 3 / BT Sport Live Streaming. In the U.S., the game will be live on Fox Sports 1 USA/ Fox Soccer 2GO USA/ Fox Sports GO/ Fox Deportes. In India, the Barcelona-Celtic match will be shown on Tensports channel.

Barcelona vs. Celtic: Head-to-Head

The Champions League has witnessed Barcelona entertain Celtic a total of seven times. Out of the seven games, the Blaugrana have claimed six victories, while Celtic came out on top a solitary time in 2012 group stages.

The last time these two teams met each other was in December, 2013 at the Camp Nou. In that game, Barcelona hit a hapless Celtic six goals, registering a dominant victory over the Scottish club.

Watch the goals of that game here.

Barcelona vs. Celtic: Match Prediction

Barcelona will inaugurate the Champions League 2016/17 as one of the favorites to win the tournament. Hence against Celtic, Barca, obviously, is favorite to win, no matter if they are slightly out-of-form. The forward line-up of Messi, Suarez, and Neymar will unite for the first time this season, hence Celtic will have to do something miraculous to stop the trio.

Final Predicted Score: Barcelona 4-1 Celtic

Barcelona vs. Celtic: Betting Tips and Odds

  • Barcelona win: 1/14
  • A draw: 11/1
  • Celtic win: 33/1
  • Over 2.5 goals: 2/9
  • Under 2.5 goals: 11/4
  • Both teams to score- yes: 11/8
  • Both teams to score-no: 8/15

Lionel Messi has a knack for scoring goals in the UCL group stages, while Suarez is also likely to get on the score sheet. Barcelona are less likely to stop Celtic for scoring having failed to keep a clean sheet in two of the last three games.

[ The odds were provided by Paddypower.]

Barcelona vs. Celtic: Live Streaming and Radio/Audio Commentary

The game can be watched live online free at this streaming link.

To listen to the radio commentary, click here.

The live streaming links, which are provided to watch the game online free, will be updated just before kick-off.

[Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images]

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