Tom English
BBC Scotland’s chief sports writer
Image source, Getty ImagesHaving faced some lightweights so far this season Celtic are now entering an altogether different division – a Champions League game against last season’s runners-up in their own storied ground. The “acid test” as Brendan Rodgers is calling it.
In boxing parlance, we’ve had an undercard that’s lasted weeks, a series of mismatches that Celtic have won with a remorseless intensity.
Scotland is a comfort zone for Rodgers’ team. Very little about Dortmund is expected to be comfortable.
Dortmund are not in a great place right now, but these things are relative. They finished fifth in the Bundesliga last season – their lowest placing since 2015 – and only qualified for the Champions League because Germany were given an extra spot.
Of course they made the Champions League final, but they were fortunate to go that far. In their semi-final Paris St-Germain hit the woodwork five times over two legs.
And the team that started against Real Madrid in the final? Mats Hummels, Jadon Sancho and Niclas Fullkrug have all moved on. Marco Reus and Sebastian Haller got game-time as well but neither of them are there now.
In recent weeks they’ve conceded two goals – in a 4-2 win – to Bochum, one of the weakest teams in the league – and they lost 5-1 to Stuttgart five days before.
As one Dortmund observer said on Monday, they’re capable of incredible sloppiness and they’re unsettled in defence, but they’re still Dortmund and still dangerous when the mood hits.
Image source, Getty Images
