Celtic’s chances of reaching the Champions League knockout playoffs took an interesting turn after a 0-0 draw against Dinamo Zagreb this evening.
With the Hoops now on 9 points after two wins and three draws from six games played.
What this means for Celtic’s chances of reaching the top 24 and, in turn, the knockout playoffs, is particularly interesting.
With the Opta supercomputer analysing how many points it would take to finish in the top 8 and in the top 24.
9 points give Celtic a 69% chance of finishing within the top 24 and, crucially, making the knockout playoffs.
With one more point all but guaranteeing that on a 99% chance of finishing within the top 24, however, the Hoops’ chances of making the top 8 are not out of the question.
If Celtic can win their next two fixtures against Young Boys at home and Aston Villa away, that would put them on 15 points, giving them a 73% chance of making the top 8 and avoiding the knockout playoffs, bypassing through to the last 16.
Which may seem a little way off, yet however, if they can pull off back-to-back wins, a place in the Champions League last 16 would be an unbelievable achievement in the new format.
So far, it has proven to be an improvement on the previous format, which wasn’t as competitive, with sides like Celtic thriving in a more competitive league structure.
