Real Madrid's journey to defend their title will begin at Scotland with an intriguing visit to Celtic in Matchday 1 of 2022-2023 Champions League. Although anything can happen, the Spanish team is a huge favorite for the game that will be held at Celtic Park. In the United States, the match will be available on fuboTV (Free Trial) and Paramount+ (Free Trial). In Canada, you can see the game in DAZN.
Despite all their tradition as a historic club in Europe, Celtic arrives to this game as a clear underdog. Nevertheless, the team has started the Scottish Premiership with six victories in six games, including last weekend's major triumph 4-0 against archrival Rangers.
On the other side, Real Madrid is one of the favorites to win the 2022-2023 Champions League. After conquering last season's title, Carlo Ancelotti's squad got even better with the arrival of players such as Antonio Rüdiger and Aurelien Tchouameni. Still, a great challenge for the King of Europe is how to replace the absence of Casemiro after his departure to Manchester United.
Celtic lineup
The headache for Celtic's manager, Ange Postecoglou is the shoulder injury suffered by striker Kyogo Furuhashi in the last game against Rangers. His replacement, as it happened in the Scottish Classic, will be Giorgos Giakoumakis.
Celtic's lineup against Real Madrid: Joe Hart, Josip Juranovic, Moritz Jenz, Carter-Vickers, Greg Taylor, Matt O'Riley, Callum McGregor, Reo Hatate, Liel Abada, Jota, Giorgos Giakoumakis.
Real Madrid lineup
In a very surprising development of events, Carlo Ancelotti's biggest question for the match in Glasgow was Karim Benzema. After the victory against Real Betis in 2022-2023 La Liga, the Italian manager admitted that there was a slight chance for the French striker to rest. Still, it turns out that Benzema will start. The puzzle gets more complicated for Ancelotti with other great pieces at his disposal such as Antonio Rüdiger, Tchouameni, Camavinga and Eden Hazard.
Real Madrid’s probable lineup against Celtic: Thibaut Courtois; Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, David Alaba, Ferland Mendy; Toni Kroos, Aurelien Tchouameni, Luka Modric; Federico Valverde, Karim Benzema, Vinicius Junior.