Barça eyes Celtic win for group lead

GLASGOW - The Associated Press

After coming close to a home humbling against Celtic two weeks, Barcelona will hope to avoid a slip-up in Scotland tonight and secure early qualification for the Champions League knockout stage.

It took Jordi Alba’s goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time at the Camp Nou to rescue a 2-1 victory against the Scottish champions and make it three wins out of three in Group G.

“Barça is so great because they never give up, and always want more,” defender Marc Bartr said.
Since that comeback, Barça has not been troubled domestically.

A 3-1 victory over Celta Vigo secured a ninth win in 10 Spanish league matches, marking the Catalan club’s best-ever start to a campaign.

But Celtic has been working to ensure there will be no repeat of the late slackness displayed two weeks ago or again at the weekend when Efe Ambrose scored an own goal for the Scots, gifting Dundee United an equalizer.

“The last game was hell because we fought until the last minute before the winner,” Ambrose said. “It’s very worrying that we’ve lost our concentration so late. We’ve talked about it with the manager and we know what we need to do - and we will do it.”

Celtic is five points behind Barcelona in second place.