Celtic will look to take another significant step towards Champions League knockout qualification when they encounter Borussia Dortmund next Tuesday. For Celtic fans who are also fans of the NHL, they can watch NHL without blackouts when using a VPN, meaning they can follow all sports live without worrying about geo-specific restrictions.

Brendan Rodgers’ high-flying side kicked off their third consecutive appearance in the competition’s main stage with a remarkable 5-1 home victory against debutants Slovan Bratislava on matchday one.

A memorable night at Celtic Park forms part of the Hoops’ eight-game winning streak at the beginning of the 2024/25 campaign, inspiring confidence among the Glasgow faithful ahead of this blockbuster trip.

Despite their dominant domestic form, highlighted by three consecutive Scottish Premiership titles, it’s been a while since Celtic last played an influential role on the continental front.

The last time the record-time Scottish champions made it out of the Champions League group stage was in 2013, while their subsequent three appearances in the competition proper ended poorly.

It would be an understatement to call Celtic’s recent campaigns at Europe’s top table a disappointment, as a record of just three wins from their last 19 group-stage fixtures says it all (W3, D3, L13).

Perhaps this new format could bring a change of scenery.

While three points in North Rhine-Westphalia would be monumental, Rodgers’ charges would likely settle for a draw against Nuri Sahin’s well-knit Dortmund side.

History Spells Trouble

Celtic got the better of Die Borussen in their first-ever encounter in the 1987/88 Europa League group stages, claiming a 2-1 victory in Glasgow.

However, they’ve since lost all three matches against the Bundesliga powerhouse, including both in Germany without scoring.

Given the Hoops’ notorious struggles against German clubs, their underwhelming record against Dortmund is hardly surprising.

Only four of their previous 25 European games against German opposition have yielded victories (D5, L16).

But if there was ever a time to defy that disturbing record, it’s now.

One Last Test Before the Showdown

Rodgers’ men head to McDiarmid Park to lock horns with St Johnstone on Saturday in their final warm-up ahead of a challenging trip to Germany.

According to Callum McGregor’s interview with the Daily Record, McDiarmid Park proved a turning point in Rodgers’ second stint in Glasgow.

The Hoops were 1-0 down at half-time last December before turning the game on its head to win 3-1, but their first-half performance produced Rodgers’ ‘angriest’ moment yet.

With a high-stakes Champions League showpiece looming on Tuesday, Celtic will probably want to avoid another dramatic outing in Perth.

Rodgers will expect nothing less from his troops after overseeing back-to-back 3-1 wins against the Saints last term.

Demoralised Hosts

Sahin returned to Signal Iduna Park, where he spent the most colourful moments of his playing career, to take over the reins from Edin Terzic in the summer.

Four wins in his first five competitive games in charge (D1), including a 3-0 thrashing of Club Brugge in their opening Champions League fixture, had sent Dortmund fans into dreamland.

However, a rude awakening was lurking just around the corner.

Stuttgart brought the former midfielder and his players back down to earth last weekend with a spectacular 5-1 triumph at the MHPArena.

It suffices to say Sebastian Hoeness’ high-flyers became the first team to score 5+ goals against Dortmund in the Bundesliga since February 2022.

Sky Sports Germany took stock of potential changes Sahin could make to get his mentally crushed side back on track.

No matter the changes, Celtic must take advantage of Dortmund’s slump to solidify their pursuit of knockout qualification.

Prediction

Stuttgart exposed Dortmund’s defensive vulnerabilities, but, more importantly, they tamed Sahin’s free-flowing frontline.

Damage limitation isn’t the first thing that springs to Rodgers’ mind, knowing his attacking-minded philosophy.

However, goal difference could be essential in this new format.

If Celtic can maintain their rip-roaring form at St Johnstone and make this journey in high spirits, no one would dare to put it past them to silence the 81,000-capacity Signa Iduna Park.