It is fair to say the past few days have been hectic for Celtic. On Sunday, the Bhoys came away from Ibrox with a 1-0 victory, although before that, there was the transfer deadline and Champions League group stage draw.
In the latter, the Bhoys were thrown into Group E alongside Feyenoord, Atletico Madrid, and Lazio. The majority of supporters were pleased with the draw which was rather even.
Each clash will be arduous in its own right yet there is no way in which the Hoops cannot succeed in the group stage of Europe’s premier club competition. And over the weekend, two of their three opponents were in action.
On Sunday evening, pot two side Atletico were due to take on Sevilla although due to bad weather in the Spanish capital, the match had to be postponed. Atleti’s will now have to wait until after the international break to get back in action.
Although the Spanish side didn’t get to play over the weekend, the likes of Feyenoord and Lazio did. Away at Italian champions Napoli in an onerous league match, the Roman side came away shock 1-0 victors.
Luis Alberto and Daichi Kamada netted for Lazio in their maiden Serie A win of the campaign. They put in a solid defensive performance and scored with the only two shots they had on target. Maurizio Sarri’s men moved up to twelfth in the table with their win.
As well as Lazio, Feyenoord put in an equally impressive performance at the weekend. Away at FC Utrecht, the Dutch champions were on free-scoring form as they came away 5-1 winners.
Perhaps Feyenoord netted as many as they did because Vasilis Barkas was in goal for Utrecht, but the Rotterdam side did score five in their previous match. Arne Slot’s team have endured an upturn in form over their past two games, but still have to host Herenveen before Celtic visit De Kuip on Champions League matchday one.
All Group E sides who were in action at the weekend secured notable wins. Whether it be Lazio winning away at the Italian champions, Feyenoord thumping Utrecht or Celtic defeating their city rivals in their own backyard with no away fans, each side impressed.
The section is shaping up to be a vastly competitive one, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see things go down to the wire.
