Celtic Park

 

Join me as discuss and rate the experience of visiting one of the most iconic stadiums in Scottish football - Celtic park as Celtic take on Slovan Bratislava in their opening Champions League match of the season

Cost- 4/5 

The match ticket was priced at £46 which I think is good value for money to experience a Champions League match in the famous Celtic Park atmosphere. The food and drink was also pretty fairly priced with a steak pie costing £3.30. 

Facilities – 4/5 

Celtic park is the biggest football stadium in Scotland with a capacity of just over 60,000 featuring 3 stands that consist of a 2 tiered bowl layout and the iconic main stand which is single tiered and has been standing since 1971. These state of the art facilities help contribute to an enjoyable matchday experience for supporters.

Atmosphere - 5/5

Both sets of Ultras the “Green Brigade” and the “Bhoys” contributed to an electric atmosphere with constant chanting which provided their team with encouragement leading them on to a famous 5-1 win. The fans also produced a tifo paying homage to the 1967 Celtic team who won were famously the first British club to win  the European Cup which greatly added to the atmosphere and  gave an insight into how much the competition means to their supporters .

Quality of Match- 3.5/5

There was a lot of media excitement going into the match questioning how Celtic would start the campaign after failing to qualify from the group stage the previous year. Celtic lived up to this excitement with brilliant performances from wingers Kuhn and Maeda combined with controlled performances from Hatate and new signing Engels contributing massively to a 5-1 victory for Celtic. However, opponents Slovan Bratislava were not up to a great standard and it could be argued they are not up to the quality of the Champions League

 

Total- 16.5/20

Santiago Bernabéu

Join me as I discuss and rate my experience of visiting the Santiago Bernabeu in 2022 for the match of Real Madrid vs Celtic in the Champions League 

Cost- 4/5

The match ticket was priced at £48 which is in my opinion good value to watch a match at a stadium as rich in history as the Santiago Bernabeu as well as seeing the reigning champions league winners. The only negative which reduces the score slightly is that the view from the away end isn’t the best due to it being so high up which is probably reflected in the ticket price.

Facilities- 4.5/5

The Santiago Bernabeu is colossal, boasting a capacity of 81,000 seats making it the third biggest football stadium in Europe. The facilities are top notch featuring advanced facilities including a retractable roof, modern seating, expanded VIP areas, high-tech audiovisual systems, and an enhanced museum. However when I visited, the Bernabeu was undergoing construction works which meant some seats weren’t allowed to be occupied which is the only thing keeping it from a 5/5 score. 

Atmosphere- 3/5

The atmosphere of the match was very good, however it wasn’t exceptional which might’ve been due to the seat closures from the construction works or the home fans might’ve not been up for it as much as if it was a top European opposition they were facing. The game went a bit flat as Madrid lead 2-0 in the opening 20 mins which also impacted the atmosphere but credit must also be given to the Celtic fans who were sticking by their team right until the end despite a poor result and performance.

Quality of Match- 3.5/5

The quality on show from the Real Madrid team was frightening with Kroos and Modric dominating the midfield whilst Vini Jr and Rodrygo looked dangerous going forward every time they got the ball. This lead to a 5-1 win for Madrid with Celtic’s goal coming from a stunning Jota free kick.

Total Score- 15/20

Fir Park

 

Join me as I discuss and rate the experience of visiting Motherwell FC’s Fir Pak stadium as they take on Celtic in a Scottish Premiership match.Cost- 4/5

The match ticket was priced at £24 which is a fantastic price for a match of football between two teams performing well so far this season. Food was also quite fairly priced with a chasni pie being priced at £4 

Facilities- 3.5/5

Fir Park is an old school stadium representative of the town’s industrial history. First built in 1895, Fir Park has transformed through time until its renovation in the 1990s where it became an all seater stadium with a capacity of a respectable 13,677. The stadium features a two tiered stand behind the goal which generally hosts away fans and 3 single tiered stands making up the rest of its capacity. The stadium gains a bonus point for the quality of its pitch which has been voted by the other premiership clubs as the leagues best pitch in recent years.

Atmosphere- 3/5

The match had a decent atmosphere with the Motherwell ultras “Block E” although being fairly small in size putting in a great effort in trying to creating an atmosphere to help their team on the pitch. The Celtic fans also contributed greatly to the match atmosphere with two sets of ultras the “Green Brigade” and “Bhoys” combining to cheer their team onto a 3-0 victory over their league opposition.

Quality of Match- 3/5

The home side started the match well with 2 great opportunities for youngster Lennon Miller putting them on the front foot in the opening stages.  However, Celtic grew into the match and took control by dominating the middle of the pitch through the use of inverted fullbacks Valle and Johnston who combined to score the second goal with Valle also providing the assist for the first goal which was scored by Mccowan. Motherwell might’ve been in with a chance of getting a result if they’d kept up their performance from the first 30 minutes, however after that they struggled to deal with the quality of Celtic. 

 

Total- 13.5/20

                                                                         Anfield Stadium

Join me as discuss and rate the experience of visiting one of the most iconic stadiums in the Premier League – Anfield Stadium

 

Cost- 3/5

Match ticket was priced at £48 which I think is quite fair for a champions league match at a stadium as historic as Anfied. Food and drink were also both fairly priced at £4.40 for a beer and £3.40 for a pie inside the stadium. 

 

Facilities- 4/5 

The facilities at Anfield combine the rich history of the stadium with modern state of the art amenities that you would expect from a “Big 6” Premier League club. These facilities help provide an enjoyable matchday experience for supporters. The stadium capacity was recently increased in 2024 with the expansion of the Anfield Road end which brought the capacity of the stadium up to 61,276 making it the fourth largest football stadium in the premier league.  

 

Atmosphere- 3.5/5

The famous Kop End of the stadium provided most of the atmosphere from the Liverpool fans during the match. I enjoyed the fact that the atmosphere was more reactionary to the events taking place in the match, meaning there isn’t singing during the entire game which is a change to the ultras scene which has taken over most of Europe. My seat was situated fairly close to the travelling Bologna fans who added to the atmosphere by their continuous singing in an attempt to help their team who were underdogs on the night

 

Quality Of Match- 3.5/5

Liverpool were going into this match clear favourites due to their impressive start to the season and Bologna losing their manager to Juventus and key players Calafiori to Arsenal and Zirkzee to Manchester United. The underdogs Bologna  put up a good fight creating a number of half chances, However in the end were unable to cope with Liverpool’s attackick quality which lead to the match ending Liverpool 2-0 Bologna with the goals coming from MacAllister and Salah.

Total score- 14/20

Westfalenstadion

 Join me as I explore the electrifying atmosphere of Signal Iduna Park or better known as the Westfalenstadion, home to Borussia Dortmund. I’ll share my first-hand experience and ratings from the thrilling matchday excitement of Borussia Dortmund vs Celtic on 01/10/24.

Cost –  4/5 

Ticket was priced at €35 which is fantastic value for money considering it was a champions league match and the ticket also includes free travel by train to the match. Food and drink was also fairly priced at €4 for a beer and €4 for a bratwurst

 

Facilities- 5/5 

Westfalenstadion- the home of Borussia Dortmund, boasts exceptional facilities. It features a state-of-the-art stadium with a capacity of over 81,000, excellent seating arrangements, modern amenities and vibrant fan zones. The stadium and surrounding areas were very clean and the stadium is easily accessible by taking the u-bahn to Westfalenhalen.

 

Atmosphere- 5/5

From before kick off until the 90^th minute, the Yellow Wall section of the stadium were creating an electric atmosphere with non-stop chanting, drumming and flying of flags and banners making it one of the best atmospheres in European football. The Yellow Wall had an excellent pre match tifo expressing their discontent with UEFA which paired with a rendition of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” created the perfect pre match atmosphere and set the tone for the excellent match atmosphere to follow. The Celtic fans also contributed to the atmosphere with a tifo display as the teams were walking out and another pyrotechnics display showing their support for the Palestinian and Lebanese people. However the performance from their team on the pitch was not up to the same standard as the support from the Celtic fans which lead to the atmosphere from the Celtic end dwindling as the match went on. 

 

Quality of match- 3.5/5

The match wasn’t the most competitive I’ve seen due to the difference in quality between the 2 teams, however gains bonus points for the amount of goals scored. The match was controlled by midfielders Julian Brandt and Emre Can, whilst the Celtic defence were unable to cope with the speed, directness and quality finishing from Dortmund attackers Karim Adeyemi and Serhou Guirassy.

Total Score - 17.5/20