FOOTBALL, thankfully, is still played on the pitch, not some computer game simulator.
And everyone is taking a while to get their heads round Uefa’s new format for the Champions League, if two different supercomputer models are to be taken into consideration.
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That’s because two different models, one provided by Grosvenor Sport, and one provided by Opta, have widely differing outcomes for Celtic fans to get their teeth into.
Remember the Hoops have officially landed the EASIEST schedule of any team in the competition – with their opponents ranked by Opta with an average rating of 87.4, with big hitters Bayern next at 87.7.
While the new expanded group stages take you past Christmas in any case, the magic number for Celtic and their fans is to finish in the top 24 spots.
Of them, the top eight sides will go directly into the last 16, with teams placed 9 to 24 battling it out for the right to join them there.
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And it all gets started next midweek as Celtic take on Slovan Bratislava.
And the good news for Celtic is that the first supercomputer, featuring numbers crunched by Grosvenor Sport, has predicted that Brendan Rodgers’ side WILL make the knockout stages.
It predicts that the Hoops will finish in 20TH position, with nine points from their eight games.
Perhaps surprisingly that’s by dint of two wins, three draws and three defeats.
And amazingly it puts them ahead of PSG, RB Leipzig and Benfica in the group table.
Taking their format on further, the Hoops are destined to go down by a narrow 4-3 aggregate to PSV in the next round, with Man City beating Real Madrid 2-0 to claim the title.
But a new supercomputer analysis released today by Opta is far less charitable on the Hoops’ chances.
The stats gurus at Opta reckon Celtic are only the 27th most likely to get a spot in the top 24.
To put it another way, they give them a 21.1% chance of making the last 16 – approximately one in five.
From there, the numbers drop quickly, with a 4.5% chance of reaching the last eight, 0.9% of reaching the semis, 0.2% of reaching the final and almost zero of going on to win the whole thing.
Again, the Opta supercomputer reckons Manchester City (25.3%) are the favourites to win this season’s Champions League, closely followed by Real Madrid.
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