Champions League qualifying ramps up this week as top sides such as Nice, Ajax and Dynamo Kiev are introduced to the draw. The most intriguing game from a betting perspective, however, looks to be Celtic v Rosenborg. The Scottish champions have been in fine form of late, while Rosenborg only just about scraped through the last round, so it could be an opportunity to make some good money on Celtic.
Former Liverpool boss raised eyebrows when he went up to Scotland to take the Celtic job last summer but it has proved to be a great move. He was always likely to win the title and put some silverware against his name, but it was the manner of victory that will make him go down in history. Celtic became the first ever Scottish Invincibles, winning the league without losing a single game, putting themselves alongside the likes of Arsenal and Juventus as the only European clubs to do so. They also completed a domestic treble by winning both cups comfortably. And they reached the Champions League group stage for the first time in three seasons and acquitted themselves pretty well. They were thrashed by Barcelona, but secured very creditable draws with Bayer Leverkusen and heavy spending Premiership club Man City, so they will fancy another crack at the big tournament.
Nobody can test Celtic domestically, so they need Champions League football to give themselves an interesting challenge and keep themselves sharp. To do so, they must beat Rosenborg and then win a fourth round qualifier. You can get even money at Paddy Power on them making the group stage and that looks a good bet. Rodgers has galvanised the club and signings like Scott Sinclair have taken Celtic to the next level. This is a side with plenty of quality, even if Moussa Dembele does leave for Marseilles, as Sinclair, Scott Brown et al have shown their talent time and time again.
They should have too much for Rosenborg. The Norwegians have won the domestic title for two years running and are top this season (the Norwegian season starts much earlier than most to avoid the freezing winters) with 10 wins, five draws and two defeats from 17 games. You could argue that nowadays the standard of football is similar in Scotland and Norway as Scotland has been on a downward curve, and these are the best representatives from each league, but Celtic have been more dominant in their country.
Two more things could swing this first leg match in Celtic’s favour. First, there is the obvious home advantage as Celtic will be backed by a passionate crowd in the 52,000 capacity Hampden Park (Rosenborg’s stadium is less than half that size). The Norwegians might be more match fit as they are well in the swing of things domestically, but that did not help them so much in the last round and that is the second reason Celtic fans could be feeling optimistic. Rosenborg played against Dundalk, who are the second best team in Ireland after Cork City. The Scottish Premiership, while struggling compared to Europe’s top leagues, is streets ahead of its Irish counterpart, and Celtic will take heart from the way Rosenborg toiled against Dundalk. The first leg finished 1-1, as did the second leg, and Rosenborg needed an extra-time strike to get through to this round.
This is a game Celtic can win, and odds of 4/9 with William Hill and other green listed bookmakers reflect that. To get more value, Celtic -1 on the Asian handicap looks a great bet at 13/18 with Bet Victor, or to push it a little further, Celtic -1.25 Asian handicap gets you 30/29. The opportunity to more than double your money looks a great option on a Celtic side brimming with confidence and desire.
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