Lincoln Red Imps vs Celtic Predictions & Betting Tips, Match Previews

Gibraltar aren’t exactly a dominant force in world football, but Lincoln Red Imps are certainly a dominant force in Gibraltar. Their league win last season saw them clinch their 14th title in a row, and they did it in some style too. They beat Europa FC to the title by an 11 point margin, and in just 27 matches they scored a ridiculous 130 goals, conceding just nine and dropping only five points all season.

Their league season saw Lincoln Red Imps score more than ten goals in a game on four separate occasions, and they carried this form into their Champions League campaign. This is their 3rd season in the Champions League, with their first season seeing Torshavn eliminate them in the first qualifying round, but last year they saw off Santa Coloma to reach the 2nd qualifying round before being eliminated by FC Midtjylland.

Lincoln Red Imps have made it to the 2nd qualifying round again after beating Flora Tallin 3-2 on aggregate, but a game against Celtic will be unlike any other club match they have played. It is light years of difference from their domestic matches, and they won’t be used to being on the wrong side of domination.

Celtic are almost mainstays in these qualifying rounds. Their huge league success means they are in this competition most years, and in total they have played 176 Champions League matches.

Recently it hasn’t gone so well for them though. They were knocked out in the playoff round last season and entered into the Europa League group stages, where they endured a torrid time and finished bottom of their group.

However, Celtic came to life in the second half of the season and will be keen to stamp some authority on the early stages of the season now that arch rivals Rangers are back in the fray.

I can’t see Celtic struggling against the semi-professional outfit on Tuesday, and I’m expecting a big first leg win from them. Odds of 1.875 for a Celtic -2.0 Asian Handicap look good value to me considering the disparity between the sides, and I’m going for a 4-0 correct score prediction at 17/2 as well.