Celtic in the Driving Seat
The second qualifying round of the 2018/19 Champions League concludes on Wednesday night. There are several matches to enjoy including the battle between the champions of Norway and Scotland.
Rosenborg and Celtic meet in Trondheim for the second leg of their tie with the Scottish club holding a 3-1 advantage from the first leg. Will Celtic hold on to their lead and progress or can Rosenborg stage a comeback in-front of their own fans?
Rosenborg began their Champions league campaign against Valur of Iceland in the first qualifying round. They were defeated 1-0 away from home and despite turning things around to win the tie 3-2 on aggregate the manager lost his job.
It was far from ideal preparation for the second round against Celtic and despite taking a 1-0 lead in the game they could not hold to their advantage.
The Norwegian league season is well underway and Rosenborg are sitting second in the defence of their title. They did not play a game on the weekend but have a good home record, losing just one of their last ten competitive matches. Rosenborg have scored 2 or more goals in each of their last four home games but have kept just a single clean sheet.
Rosenborg have won eight of their last ten home Champions league matches but one of their two defeats came against Celtic last season.
Celtic were delighted with their response having gone 1-0 down at home last week. Two goals either side of half-time gave them the lead and this was extended 15 minutes from the end with a second goal for Odsonne Edouard.
The Scottish Premier League is yet to begin this season so Celtic have no league form at this stage of the campaign. However, they have played three Champions League games and have a 100% record. Celtic defeated Alashkert 3-0 home and away in the first qualifying round before defeating Rosenborg at home in the first leg of this tie.
Celtic have scored 3 goals in each of their three Champions league games this season. Away form in the Champions League shows they have won two of their last five away matches but they have lost only three of the last ten. There have been good draws at Borussia Monchengladbach and Manchester City plus a 3-0 win at Anderlecht.
Looking ahead to the team news and Rosenborg will be without the injured Anders Konradsen which is a blow for the home team. The midfielder is expected to be out until the end of August and is the only man missing for Rosenborg.
Celtic are a little short in the strikers department with Moussa Dembele and Leigh Griffiths both injured. Midfielder Nir Bitton will also miss the match.
Rosenborg now they need to win this game by at least 2 clear goals to stand any chance of qualifying. Celtic can sit back and defend deep in an attempt to frustrate their opponents and play on the break. This could result in a fairly even contest, with the match ending level and Celtic progressing to the next round.
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