5 memorable Champions League nights at Parkhead as Celtic prepare for Real Madrid test

Celtic are preparing for the visit of European champions Real Madrid on Tuesday night as Ange Postecoglou’s side look to make their mark in the group stages of the Champions League for the first time in five years.

The Hoops have enjoyed a flawless start to the season under the Australian with seven wins out of seven, including a maximum of 18 points from their opening six Premiership matches.

The Scottish champions eased past city rivals Rangers on Saturday with a 4-0 win to open a five-point gap at the top of the table and the performance will have given supporters plenty of cause for optimism ahead of facing the Spanish giants.

During the 1960s and 70s, Celtic were a major force to be reckoned with in European football as Jock Stein’s iconic side etched their name into the history books under the old European Cup format, winning the 1967 final against Inter Milan.

Finalists again three years later, Celtic made their first appearance in the reformed Champions League format under Martin O’Neill in the 2001/02 season and have claimed some memorable scalps against some of the top clubs in world football since then.

The likes of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Andrea Pirlo have all tasted defeat during previous trips to Celtic Park.

Ahead of their showdown with the Galacticos, GlasgowWorld takes a look back through the archives at five of the club’s most famous European results at Parkhead...

Celtic 2-1 Barcelona - November 2012

La Liga heavyweights Barcelona were widely considered as one of the greatest club sides EVER to play the game when they travelled to Glasgow in 2012.

Stars including Andres Iniesta, Xavi, Dani Alves, David Villa and Carlos Puyol were a vital part of Tito Vilanova’s side and were regarded as one of the favourites to lift the trophy they had won twice in the previous five years.

The Catalan giants could also call on talisman Lionel Messi who was nearing the end of a record-breaking calendar year of 91 goals in 12 months.

Managed by Neil Lennon, who was part of the Celtic team that knocked the Spanish outfit out of the Uefa Cup in 2004, the Hoops went into the game as massive underdogs.

However, Victor Wanyama headed past Barca goalkeeper Victor Valdes from a corner on 21 minutes and an 18-year-old Tony Watt stepped off the bench to double the Hoops advantage in the closing minutes.

Messi grabbed a consolation in injury time for the visitors but it wasn’t enough to prevent their first defeat of the season as Celtic fans celebrated a momentous result.

Both teams progressed to the last-16 where Celtic lost to Italian side Juventus.

Celtic 1-0 Manchester United - November 2006

Sir Alex Ferguson returned to Glasgow with his star-studded Manchester United side as the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Paul Scholes and Rio Ferdinand looked to secure their place in the knockout phase.

Celtic had never reached the last-16 in the Champions League and were on the receiving end of a 3-2 defeat in the first leg at Old Trafford.

A spectacular 30-yard free kick from Japanese star Shunsuke Nakamura was enough to hand Gordon Strachan’s side a 1-0 victory. Polish goalkeeper Artur Boruc also produced a last-minute penalty save from Louis Saha to ensure the Hoops qualified from their group for the first time.

Their reward was a last-16 tie against Serie A giants and eventual winners AC Milan, going down 1-0 in extra-time at the San Siro following consecutive goalless draws.

Celtic 2-1 AC Milan - October 2007

AC Milan - managed then by Carlo Ancelotti - arrived in Glasgow in 2007 as the reigning European champions having defeated Liverpool 2-1 in the final at the Olympic Stadium five months beforehand.

Despite the absence of captain Paolo Maldini and Brazilian defender Cafu, the Italians still fielded a team full of international stars including Clarence Seedorf, Kaka, Andrea Pirlo and Gennaro Gattuso.

Following a quiet hour of play on a rain-sodden night, Hoops skipper Stephen McManus forced the ball over the line from a corner to put the home side in front before a penalty from Balon D’or winner Kaka looked to have earned Milan a point.

However, in injury time Australian striker Scott McDonald slotted home from close range after goalkeeper Souza Dida saved a Gary Caldwell’s initial shot to record another famous victory.

Strachan guided his team to the last-16 for the second season in a row, but they crashed out 4-2 on aggregate to Barcelona in the knockout stages.

Celtic 4-3 Juventus - October 2001

Martin O’Neill’s side took their first steps into the Champions League group stages after the tournament was rebranded by defeating Dutch side Ajax in a play-off.

Celtic had just secured a domestic treble and went into the last game still boasting slim hopes of qualification. They had to beat Italian giants Juventus and pray that results elsewhere went their way.

Alessandro Del Piero opened the scoring from a free-kick but Celtic responded through goals from Henrik Larsson, Joos Valgaeren and two stunning strikes from Chris Sutton to earn all three points.

World Cup winning striker David Trezeguet came off the bench to briefly level the match and then convert a late consolation in a thoroughly entertaining 4-3 win for the Hoops.

However, a 1-0 win for Porto over Norwegian outfit Rosenborg meant the Scottish champions would have to be content with a spot in the UEFA Cup. They would eventually lose 5-4 on penalties to Valencia, despite recording a slender win at Parkhead.

Celtic 2-1 Shakhtar Donetsk - November 2007

Celtic moved to the brink of qualifcation for the last-16 for the second consecutive season in dramatic fashion when they left it to the last kick of the game to claim a hugely significant victory over the Ukrainian side.

Shakhtar might not be the biggest name Celtic have conquered over the years, but the nature of this win in particular continues to live long in the memory of Hoops fans.

The hosts had fallen behind withing the opening five minutes when Brazillian star Brandao pounced on John Kennedy’s mistake to fire home the opening goal.

Things went from bad to worse for Celtic as they lost Lee Naylor and Kennedy to injury, but Jiri Jarosik levelled the tie just before half-time.

Substitute Massimo Donati celebrated the vital winning goal as the Italian midfielder found the far corner of the net via a deflection deep in stoppage time to set Parkhead alight.