Celtic v Club Brugge: Five facts ahead of UEFA Champions League clash | OneFootball

Celtic face Club Brugge on Wednesday in the UEFA Champions League. Brendan Rodgers’ side will look to take a step towards qualification for the next stage with a result against the visitors from Belgium. Celtic are currently on 7 points while their opponents are on 6 points and will have similar aspirations for Matchday Five.

First meeting against Club Brugge

This is the first meeting between Celtic and Club Brugge. Celtic have faced Belgian opposition on eight previous occasions and have a 50% win rate, playing KAA Gent, Germinal Ekeren, and Anderlecht over the years. Blauw-Zwart have won the Belgian top division on 19 occasions, second only Anderlecht.

UEFA Champions League match between Celtic FC and SK Slovan Bratislava at Celtic Park on September 18, 2024. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Celtic looking to better 2012/13 records

Celtic have scored nine goals in four UEFA Champions League games this season, which is the club’s joint most with the 2012-13 campaign. You would have to go back until the 1977-78 season for a greater total (13) coming in the European Cup. Celtic’s star man Nicolas Kühn will be the one to watch given that he has 22 goal contributions (11 goals and 11 assists) in 18 appearances in all competitions this season.

Player of the match Nicolas Kuhn is pushed by team mates to celebrate in front of the Green Brigade at full-time after scoring twice in Celtic s 3-1 victory over RB Leipzig. Celtic v RB Leipzig, UEFA Champions League, Group Stage, Celtic Park, – 05 November 2024. Photo Stuart Wallace Shutterstock

Celtic have won two of their opening four games of this season’s UCL campaign, which is as many as the club’s last four campaigns combined. The last time Celtic won three games was in the 2012-13 campaign under Neil Lennon in which Celtic beat Spartak Moscow (twice) and Barcelona. Obviously, the new format has eight games but Celtic will be targeting to match and better the 2012-13 record this year.

Players of Club Brugge KV pose for a team photograph prior to the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD2 match between SK Sturm Graz and Club Brugge KV at Worthersee Stadion on October 02, 2024 in Klagenfurt, Austria. (Photo by Jurij Kodrun/Getty Images)

Brugge’s solid defensive record

Club Brugge scored seven goals at the weekend but they have only scored four times in their last nine UEFA Champions League games. Their last five wins in the tournament have been to nil, signifying their resilience at the back. Indeed, since the start of 2022-23, only Inter Milan have kept a clean sheet in a higher percentage of games than Brugge among teams to have featured in more than one season of the competition.

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – SEPTEMBER 18: Arne Engels of Celtic celebrates scoring his team’s third goal during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD1 match between Celtic FC and SK Slovan Bratislava at Celtic Park on September 18, 2024 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Engels could match KDB record

Arne Engels has three assists in four appearances in his debut campaign in Europe’s top competition. The Belgian will be looking to match or even better Kevin De Bruyne, who holds the record for most assists by a Belgian player, recording four in 2017/18, 2018/19, 2020/21 and 2022/23. Engels has already equaled Matt O’Riley’s three assists from last season as well as Charlie Mulgrew’s from the 2012/13 season.

Brugge’s European pedigree

Brugge have reached two European finals and three European semi-finals in their history. They remain the only Belgian side to play in a European Cup/Champions League Final, losing in 1978 to Liverpool. The Belgians hold the European record for consecutive participation in the Europa League.