Both teams look strong value to score in this encounter based on their previous record this season. Celtic have only failed to find the net in one of their previous 16 competitive matches, while RB Leipzig have netted in 11 of their previous 14 games.

Celtic’s defence is generally not considered a strong point when faced with a Champions League-level attack. That has been the case so far in this competition, conceding eight times in three games. Although they shut out Atalanta, they still allowed 2.4 xGA.

Leipzig have been giving up scoring chances when playing away from home. Although they have kept three clean sheets in their last four on the road, they have allowed a total of 5.21 xG across these matches, including 3.0 xG in the games they did not concede. Pointing to a team overperforming at the back.

Leipzig are weaker than usual at the back as Castello Lukeba will miss the match due to injury.

It is the case for both of these clubs that two of their last three Champions League matches have seen both teams find the net.

Sesko has been Leipzig’s big threat in the Champions League to date this season, scoring all of their three goals.

With five shots on target at a rate of 1.92 per 90, he has more than twice as many efforts on target as any of his team-mates. Willi Orban, Lois Openda, Amadou Haidara, Xavi Simons and Benjamin Henrichs have all had two shots on target – three short of Leipzig’s leader in that regard.

He has had a shot on target in 12 of his last 14 matches for club and country. Prior to the weekend’s trip to Dortmund, when he managed 1 shot on target, he had enjoyed a run of four straight matches in which he had hit the target on exactly two occasions.

Celtic have given up an average of 6.33 shots on target per match in the Champions League this season – the seventh-highest tally in the competition – which suggests that Sesko will get chances.

Daizen Maeda is a player in-form. He scored a hat-trick in the weekend’s 6-0 League Cup semi-final victory over Aberdeen and also registered an assist in that match.

No player has been as effective as the 27-year-old Japanese in the Champions League this season for Celtic. He has six shots, a club-high figure tied with Arne Engels, and three on target.

Maeda has had a shot on target in two of Celtic’s three Champions League games and scored against both Slovan Bratislava at home and away to Borussia Dortmund.

He tends to be involved in a wider role when playing in Europe, which seems to suit him when it comes to getting accurate shots away. While he averages 2.14 shots per 90 both in the Champions League and Scottish Premiership, he has managed 0.71 shots on target per 90 domestically compared to 1.07 in Europe.

Johnston sits second among all Celtic players this season when it comes to committing fouls. He has made 13 in total, which only trails Daizen Maeda’s 20.

The Canada international gives away fouls at a rate of 1.11 per 90 across all competitions. This actually drops to 0.71 per 90 in the Champions League but he has given away fouls in two of the three matches he has played.

Likely to line up in direct competition with Antonio Nusa, who has been fouled at least once in each of his last six starts for club and country. With Xavi Simons and David Raum out injured, he is likely to be given a more prominent left midfield role, from which he won three free kicks against Dortmund at the weekend. Nusa has a direct dribbling style that will test Johnston.

RB Leipzig may have lost their three Champions League games to date but their run of fixtures has been fiendish, and Tuesday’s clash against Celtic is the first that they will feel they should be capable of picking up three points in.

Historically, Leipzig are a strong team away from home in Europe, beating Celtic 2-0 in the Champions League in 2022-23. Over the course of the two previous campaigns, they have won four, drawn one and lost three on their travels in this competition. The defeats came against Real Madrid and Manchester City (twice), while they drew against Los Blancos last season. They have picked off lesser opponents, impressively.

Celtic have already been thumped by a Bundesliga side in the form of Borussia Dortmund 7-1 this season. The German top-flight shows that RB Leipzig are of a similar (or arguably even better) standard than the team they’ve already been beaten by.

The Hoops have lost four of their last eight European home matches.

Celtic are an attack-minded team and regardless of the standard of their opponents will approach this match with a positive mindset in which they will try to take the game to the German side.

Brendan Rodgers’ style uses a good deal of width and typically Celtic win a high corner count even when they are not dominating games. This was evident against both Borussia Dortmund and Atalanta as they picked up four corners in each of these matches, while they won 11 against Slovan Bratislava in the previous home European outing. Versus BVB and Atalanta, they had 48% and 34% of the ball respectively.

Leipzig have conceded at least five corners in seven of their last 12 competitive matches across all competitions. They notably gave up eight against Atletico Madrid in their previous Champions League road trip while Liverpool won seven against Marco Rose’s side.

Daizen Maeda dominates the Celtic charts this season when it comes to giving away fouls, with the Japan international having committed 20 this season – seven more than anyone else on the Parkhead club’s books. Five of these fouls have come in the Champions League.

Committing 2.04 fouls per 90 overall this season but also at a rate of 1.79 per 90 in the Champions League.

Maeda had a quiet start to the season when it came to giving away fouls, but his count has rocketed in recent weeks. Committing at least two fouls in seven of the last eight matches in the league or CL – including a Premiership match against Dundee, in which he only played 34 minutes.

Leipzig’s right back for this encounter is likely to be former Monaco man Benjamin Henrichs, who draws 1.03 fouls per 90 in the Bundesliga this season.

Goals seem guaranteed in this clash given that both Celtic and RB Leipzig have a habit of being involved in high-scoring fixtures. Indeed, two of the three games that both clubs have played this season in the Champions League have yielded at least three goals, while RB Leipzig’s 1-0 loss against Liverpool last time out had 3.1 xG.

Since that match, Leipzig have played three fixtures in which both teams have scored and in which there have been three or more goals.

Celtic have played 16 matches this season, with 13 of those yielding at least three goals.

The home side are unlikely to park the bus playing at Celtic Park, which should make for a more open match than the one they played in Atalanta in the last round of the competition, where they simply sought to earn a point.