Pass-marks: In-play stat ranks Celtic amongst Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, Ajax and Europe's best

Carl Starfelt of Celtic (Photo by Ross Parker / SNS Group)

They may be fifth in the SPFL cinch Premiership but Celtic can boast the third best pass-rate per match so far across all of Europe’s top leagues according to CIES Football Observatory.

Lionel Messi’s team-mates have taken the French giants to number one on the list with 738, and Ukraine’s Shakhtar Donetsk are next before Celtic’s 708 ranks them just above Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City (703) and Ajax (699).

Using InStat data, the four games measured before the international break showed Celtic had a 90.3 per cent success rate with just under half coming in the attacking half of the pitch.

League leaders Rangers, 39th overall, were second in Scotland with an average of 585 per game and 87pc successful. Ross County had the least with 318 and just 39.7pc in the opposition half.

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