“Celtic should fear no-one at home” - German football journalist hails Paradise atmosphere amid Champions League glamour tie
Ethan Barlow gets the lowdown from German football expert Mark Lovell
The east end of Glasgow will embark on a cauldron of noise as Celtic Park hosts its first Champions League knockout match in over a decade. Tomorrow, ‘The Hoops’ welcome Germany’s record champions, Bayern Munich.
Scotland’s odds-on treble favourites face the competition’s third most common winners, hoping to write the wrongs of their first trophyless season in 12 years. ‘The Bavarians’ currently lead the Bundesliga by eight points despite an underwhelming UCL League Phase debut.
Former Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany has steadied the Bayern ship following now England manager, Thomas Tuchel’s unsatisfying season at the Allianz.
German football expert Mark Lovell gave the common consensus of the former-Belgian international's tenure thus far: “The general feeling around Kompany is positive. It was a tough watch under Thomas Tuchel, with many players unhappy with his style of play. Now, the fans are fully behind the team, enjoying both the attacking style and the number of goals.
“Of course, Kompany was far from the first-choice appointment, especially given the relegation on his CV at Burnley. However, the Belgian has impressed and currently has the fans on his side.”
The 2020 UCL winners have suffered five defeats this campaign, with three of them being away from home in this season’s competition. One of their two domestic losses came at Mainz in the Bundesliga, and the other at home in the DFB Pokal, against Bayer Leverkusen, when Manuel Neuer was shown red after just 17 minutes.
Back-to-back defeats in Birmingham and Barcelona raised eyebrows across Europe but Bayern’s 3-0 loss in Rotterdam against Feyenoord showed a near-perfect blueprint to beat the side who averages the most possession in the tournament.
Lovell gave his thoughts on how he thinks Celtic can possibly pull off an upset, he said: “Celtic will have noted that this Bayern side is vulnerable, especially their high backline, as we have seen from those three away defeats. Obviously, Celtic must do the hard work on home soil at Paradise in the first leg. They need to be positive, defend resolutely, and take an advantage to the Bavarian capital next week. They must play with belief—no-fear football.”
Bayern Munich have a wealth of riches across their team but are likely to be without three important parts of their squad. Alphonso Davies, Hiroki Ito and Joao Palhinha are all expected to miss the trip.
Lovell gave his lineup prediction and highlighted the key player for the visitors: “Neuer Sacha Boey/Konrad Laimer, Dayot Upamecano, Min-Jae Kim, Raphael Guerreiro, Aleksandar Pavlovic/Leon Goretzka, Joshua Kimmich, Michael Olise, Jamal Musiala, Kingsley Coman and Harry Kane.
“Jamal Musiala is the key man for me—he makes Bayern tick. If Celtic can keep him on the fringes of the game, their chances of a positive result will improve significantly.”
Celtic will also have to be wary of Harry Kane. The Englishman netted his 27th and 28th goals of the season at the weekend in Bayern’s 3-0 win over Werder Bremen. The former Spurs man converted both penalties to extend his run to 30 without missing one.
This Bayern Munich team will give up chances, it’s whether Celtic take them. Combining a clinical edge with a defensive masterclass could see Brendan Rodgers orchestrate a Celtic Park UCL night, of old.