Courtois saved penalty: denied Juranovic a goal in Real Madrid vs. Celtic.

REAL MADRID vs. CELTIC PREVIEW

Real Madrid seeks to close the Champions League group stage with a victory and currently does not have any complications against Celtic, in the last match. Although Josip Juranovic had the opportunity to score from the penalty spot for the Scottish team, goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois performed brilliantly under the goalposts.

The match at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium reached the 33rd minute and Liel Abada entered the 'Merengues' area, from the right, at full speed. Ferland Mendy, in a desperate attempt to recover the ball, made a slide tackle and ended up bringing down the forward. Immediately, referee Stéphanie Frappart awarded a penalty.

Real Madrid players protested, but there was no way to change the decision and Thibaut Courtois had to position himself in the goal. Finally, the Belgian goalkeeper guessed the direction of Josip Juranovic's shot and, despite the speed of the ball, managed to deflect it to the right. Carlo Ancelotti's team did not hesitate to congratulate the goalkeeper.

Real Madrid suffered a couple of unexpected setbacks in a season where they had a 16-game unbeaten run. However, last week in Germany, Carlo Ancelotti's team lost for the first time in the 2022-2023 season against RB Leipzig by 3-2. Moreover, the 'Merengues' drew at home against Girona (1-1) in LaLiga Santander.

In that context, Real Madrid wants to regain good sensations to secure the first place in the group. To close this round, Karim Benzema was again included in the call-up, after being absent against Sevilla, Leipzig, and Girona. If the Frenchman is not 100%, Marco Asensio should accompany Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo in the attack.

On the other hand, Celtic is already eliminated from the Champions League. The Scottish team also has no chances of going to the Europa League. In that sense, the team coached by Ange Postecoglou is motivated by the possibility of visiting the field of the current European champion and making an impact in the group stage's final match.