After getting the business done against Young Boys, Celtic fans will travel in their thousands for a party at Villa Park.
Having seen three Kyogo goals disallowed and an Arne Engels penalty saved in a dominant first-half against the Swiss champions, plenty in green and white would’ve been fearing another European hard luck story. But this Celtic team have shown quite an appetite for the new look Champions League format, and they eventually got the breakthrough courtesy of a moment of class from Reo Hatate – and a chunk of luck as Loris Benito turned into his own net.
That maintained the Hoops’ excellent home record at Parkhead in the tournament this year, but crucially also secured progress beyond the league or group for the first time in 12 years. A key objective Brendan Rodgers had been set had been met, and mathematically it could get even better too. Celtic do still have a slim chance of automatic progress into the last 16 round – but to do that they’ll have to come out on top in what could be a battle of Britain belter.
Record Sport has all the details to ensure you don’t miss a moment of the action. Here’s everything you need to know…
When is Aston Villa vs Celtic?
Aston Villa welcome Celtic to Villa Park on Wednesday, January 29 with kick-off at 8pm.
Is Aston Villa vs Celtic on TV?
Of course it is! The match will be broadcast live on TNT Sports 1 with coverage starting at 7pm and running until 10pm. If you don’t have TNT then you can catch the highlights on BBC 1 from 10.40pm.
Can I live stream Aston Villa vs Celtic?
You can. Fans can stream the game to their devices via the Discovery+ website or app for £30.99 per month, but the broadcaster does not offer a pay-per-view option. To sign up click HERE.
Where else can I follow Aston Villa vs Celtic?
You can keep up with all the action right here on dailyrecord.co.uk! We’ll be running a live blog with all the pre-match build-up and team news, and every kick of the ball once the clash gets underway. After the game, we’ll have all the reaction from managers and players, as well as player ratings, talking points and a whole lot more.
Ref and VAR
Vastly experienced Frenchman Clément Turpin will be the man in the middle, assisted by Nicolas Danos and Benjamin Pages with Romain Lissorgue the fourth official. Jérôme Brisard is on VAR duty with Dutchman Rob Dieperink assistant VAR. It will be the first time that Turpin has officiated Celtic, but not his first time in charge of a Scottish team – having officiated Rangers (three times), Hibs and Motherwell in Europe previously.
Team news
The big news for Celtic is that Jota won’t be eligible to make his return in this one, as he’s not in the club’s Champions League squad. That, combined with Daizen Maeda serving a suspension and the sale of Kyogo could leave the Hoops a little bit short on firepower. And puts big pressure on Adam Idah to show his worth and build on his display against Young Boys. Veteran James Forrest also remains sidelined.
Villa have a few issues of their own, especially in defence. Tyrone Mings will miss out after picking up a knee injury in their draw with West Ham, joining fellow central defender Pau Torres on the treatment table. There will also be no Amadou Onana or Ross Barkley, but John McGinn could be in line for a start against his boyhood club.