Liverpool vs Celtic FC Tickets

Liverpool are six times winners of the European Cup/UEFA Champions League, and they will be itching to secure a strong result in Scottish giants Celtic, who are themselves former champions of the competition, albeit in the somewhat distant past.

Liverpool’s first involvement in the competition came in 1964/65 when Bill Shankly’s side fought their way to the Semi-Finals to face Italian side Inter Milan. Goals from Roger Hunt, Ian Callaghan, and Ian St John scored to give the Merseyside outfit a 3-1 to take to the San Siro.

Unfortunately, that did not prove enough as Inter romped to a 3-0 win and went on to beat Benfica to win the competition that year.

It was Bob Paisley who led Liverpool to their first European Cup triumph, which came in 1976/77 as they defeated Borussia Monchengladbach 3-1 in Rome. He made it two in a row when Kenny Dalglish scored the only goal of the 1978 European Cup Final, which was enough to defeat Club Brugge at Wembley Stadium.

The club’s prolonged period of success saw them win a third European Cup in 1981, with Alan Kennedy this time on target as Liverpool beat Real Madrid in Paris. Bob Paisley stood down as Liverpool boss in 1983, but that didn’t put an end to their success in Europe.

His replacement, Joe Fagan, led the club to victory in 1984, defeating AS Roma at the Stadio Olimpico on penalties after a 1-1 draw.

The club’s fifth title is perhaps their most iconic. That came when Rafa Benitez’s side took on AC Milan in Istanbul.

Liverpool found themselves 3-0 down at half-time but came roaring back to score three times, with captain Steven Gerrard leading from the front in the second half to force the game into extra time and then penalties.

It was then keeper Jerzy Dudek’s turn to be the hero; the Polish keeper saved two penalties to give Liverpool a famous UEFA Champions League title win.

Their sixth success came under Jurgen Klopp, coming with a 2-0 win over Tottenham in Madrid, with Mohamed Salah scoring a second-minute penalty and Divock Origi providing the second late on.

Celtic were the first British team to win the European Cup when they defeated Inter Milan in the 1967 final in Lisbon. Jock Stein’s side arguably over-performed in the competition as they once again reached the final in 1970, losing to Feyenoord and made it to the Semi-Finals in 1973/74.

They haven’t come close to hitting those heights since, and now the emphasis is on making it to the group stages and trying to, at the very least, finish third and qualify for the UEFA Europa League.

Liverpool vs Celtic Head-to-Head

These two teams have met in Europe on three occasions. The first came in the 1965/66 UEFA European Cup Winners’ Cup Semi-Finals. A goal from Bobby Lennox earned Celtic a 1-0 home leg win, but in the return, Tommy Smith and Geoff Strong got Liverpool past their Scottish opponents, and they then lost the final to Borussia Dortmund in Glasgow.

Their next meeting was in the 1997/98 UEFA Cup First Round and saw Steve McManaman score a cracking solo goal at Celtic Park to earn Liverpool a useful 2-2 away draw. The second leg ended goalless, which meant the Premier League side went through on away goals.

In 2002/03, the two teams met again, this time in the Quarter-Finals. Martin O’Neill’s side scored early on in their first leg through Henrik Larsson, but Emile Heskey leveled to earn Liverpool a 1-1 draw away.

O’Neill’s side then beat the odds to earn a marvelous 2-0 win at Anfield thanks to goals from Alan Thompson and John Hartson. Celtic would go on to beat Boavista in the Semi-Finals to set up a final against Benfica. There they were unfortunate to lose 3-2 in extra time in Seville.

Liverpool vs Celtic FC Connections

Many big stars have represented both Liverpool and Celtic, and these include Robbie Keane, Craig Bellamy, Stephane Henchoz, Harry Kewell, Virgil van Dijk, and Gary Gillespie.

Arguably the most famous individual to represent both clubs would be Kenny Dalglish. The forward came through the ranks at Celtic Park and spent eight years in the first-team set-up across the late 1960s and early 70s, making 338 appearances for the club and scoring 173 goals before moving to Liverpool in 1977.

At Anfield, he became a legend, racking up a massive 515 appearances for the all-conquering side and scoring 172 goals. During his playing career on Merseyside, the club won six domestic titles and three European Cups.

He then went on to manage both teams, albeit proving far more successful at Liverpool than in Glasgow.

Another star performer who played for both teams was winger John Barnes. The England international was signed by Liverpool in 1987 after making a big impression at Watford, and he spent ten successful years with the club.

During his time there, he made 403 appearances and scored 106 goals; following the end of his playing career, he was appointed as head coach at Celtic, with Dalglish on board as director of football. Things didn't go well for Barnes, as he stayed in his post for less than a year before he was fired.