Celtic was not given many chances in this years Champions League. However, the Scots surprised and are now in the 1/8 finals against Juventus.

Champions League 1/8 finals

Celtic Park

12-02-2013 @ 19.45 UK

How are the two teams form?

The Scots are unbeaten in their last three matches, in the domestic league and the Scottish Cup while a defeat against St. Mirren in the League Cup is still haunting the Bhoys. In the Champions League, Celtic ended last calendar year with a 2-1 win against Spartak Moskva securing them a second position in the group.

Juventus' season has been good so far, positioned 1 on the Serie A and winners of group E in the Champions League. The Italians have won their latest two matches in the domestic league, as well as their last match in the ChL against Shaktar Donetsk.

Last time the two teams met was in the 2001 Champions League group E. Here, Celtic won the first meeting 4-3 while Juventus won 3-2 at home.

What is the probable starting XI?

Celtic will have Fraser Forster and Kelvin Wilson back from injuries, and they are bot expected to go straight into the starting XI. At the same time, Juventus has almost all of their profiles ready for this match. 

What to expect from this match?

As mentioned before, not many expected Celtic to be a part of the 1/8 finals, but the Scots are here to stay. We might see a defensive starting point, but the Bhoys will not let the Italians run the over. On the other hand, Juventus has a very strong attack and their pace will challenge the Celtic defends. Pirlo has already said that Juve is prepared on the Scots and knows how to play against them. Tomorrow night, we will see if the Italians had prepared enough.

What are the odds?

StanJames has the best odds on Juventus with 10/11, while a draw gives back 30/11 at Pinnacle. The same bookmaker presents a 41/10 bet on Celtic. 



The English veteran revealed earlier today, that he is leaving LA Galaxy after this season. However, this is not the end for Beckham.

The former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder has been a profile on the LA Galaxy team for the last six years, but told the Major League Soccer website: "I've had an incredibly special time playing for the LA Galaxy, however, I wanted to experience one last challenge before the end of my playing career."

All over the internet, fans are guessing on the next location for Beckham. Australia has earlier been named as the new home for the 'Becks', but if the midfielder is looking for a more lucrative offer China will be more attractive. The American league has experienced a major boost since Beckham and other European stars joined the MLS, and it might weigh high for Beckham that he can do it again in China.

Yesterday, Snoop Dog claimed interest in buying Celtic and add his best friend Beckham to the team. However, this seems very unlikely as the money doesn't seem to be there. Some fans are also opening the chances for seeing the veteran back in the English league system. Given his age, he will probably not be attractive for the top teams in the Premier League, but the midtable and bottom teams will see it as a scoop having Beckham on the team.

Becks also told the website that he was ready to return to the MLS, but this time as a part of the ownership structure. One thing is certainly for sure; Beckham will be playing his last match in the Galaxy shirt on the 1st of December.

The Danish U21 national coach, Morten Wieghorst, has a past in Scottish football where he played matches for Dundee FC and Celtic FC. Wieghorst expressed his view on how the Scottish league would look like without Glasgow Rangers.

The former Scottish champion ensured that the league will be able to carry on without Glasgow Rangers, but also said that it would not come so far:

Wieghorst know that the future of the club right now is controlled by economic problems, but said that he could not imagine a situation without the club, as he continued:

Morten Wieghorst also believed that the rest of the SPL-clubs had their fingers crossed hoping for the survival of Rangers, as it is a great economical profit to be visited by the club.
 

Asked whether or not he believed that Celtic was dependent on the rivals from Glasgow Rangers, the former national player said:

Morten Wieghorst played 90 matches and scored 11 goals for Dundee FC, before transferring to Celtic FC where he scored 10 goals in 86 matches and became Scottish champion in 1998.