Celtic FC and Manchester City, two European Cup winning clubs, are on the cusp of an exciting showdown, set to take place amidst the fervent atmosphere of Celtic Park.
Celtic FC, established in 1887 with a noble mission to alleviate poverty within Glasgow's immigrant community, has evolved into a symbol of Scottish football excellence. The club boasts an impressive tally of more than 50 Scottish Premiership titles. They’ve also won one European Cup. Their crowning moment came in 1967 when they staged a comeback in Lisbon to defeat Inter Milan 2-1 in the European Cup final.
While Celtic frequently features in the UEFA Champions League, advancing deep into the competition has proven challenging. Their best campaign from recent years occurred in the 2012/13 season, when they achieved a stunning 2-1 victory over FC Barcelona at Celtic Park. Despite progressing from their group, Celtic were eliminated in the round of 16 by Juventus.
Manchester City has earned a reputation as a force to be reckoned with under Pep Guardiola, securing numerous domestic and European accolades. The Citizens play an attractive style of football and have put rivals Manchester United in their shadow. The fortunes of the club changed after being bought by Sheikh Mansour in 2008. Man City spent heavily in the transfer market and reaped the rewards on the pitch.
Their recent dominance in the Premier League is well-documented, and their remarkable journey in the UEFA Champions League led them to the final in the 2022/23 season, beating Inter Milan 1-0 to win their first major European trophy.
Celtic vs Manchester City Head to Head
Celtic and Manchester City’s only previous meetings came in the 2016/17 season. They were drawn together in a tricky Champions League group that featured FC Barcelona and Borussia Monchengladbach.
Their historic first meeting was a thrilling encounter. Man City came from behind on three occasions to secure a 3-3 draw at Celtic Park. In the return fixture, Patrick Roberts, on loan from Manchester City, opened the scoring for Celtic in the fourth minute at the Etihad Stadium. Kelechi Iheanacho scored an equaliser four minutes later and the match ended 1-1.
Celtic vs Manchester City Connections
As noted above, Patrick Roberts spent the 2016/17 season on loan at Celtic from Manchester City. The young winger was a huge hit at Parkhead and extended his loan spell for one more year.
Plenty more young Man City stars have been sent on loan to Celtic to gain valuable experience. Georgios Samaras, John Guidetti, Jason Denayer, and Daniel Arzani all spent one year on loan in Glasgow. Belgian defender Dedryck Boyata failed to break into the first-team at Man City, so joined Celtic on a permanent deal in 2015.
In 2001, Israeli midfielder Eyal Berkovic went in the other direction, leaving Celtic to join Manchester City for a reported fee of £1.5m. Other players to represent both clubs include Joe Hart, Craig Bellamy, Kolo Toure, and Scott Sinclair.
