Vincent Kompany’s Bayern Munich will go up against Celtic to get closer to a place in the round of the 16 of the UEFA Champions League.
Celtic are preparing for their first-ever UEFA Champions League knockout tie in 12 years. The Scottish giants will host Bayern Munich in Glasgow on Wednesday night in the first leg.
The new format certainly did wonders for Celtic, allowing them to reach the knockout playoff phase. They finished 21st on the points table with 12 points in their outings to set up this tie against Bayern Munich.
While the Hoops’ domestic form has been exceptional, they suffered a 4-2 defeat at the hands of Aston Villa in the UEFA Champions League on Matchday 8, and they are not going to find it easy against Vincent Kompany’s team.
The visitors have not really enjoyed the new format as they failed to secure a top-eight finish and are now at the risk of not making it to the round of 16 for the first time in over two decades.
Bayern Munich are atop of the Bundesliga table, and they have won each of their last four games heading into this fixture. As a result, they will be confident about their chances. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could put to use.
Team News & Tactics
Celtic
Daizen Maeda, who bagged a hat-trick in their last outing is suspended for this fixture after a straight red card on Matchday 7 of the UEFA Champions League. Jota, who secured a return to Celtic in the winter transfer window, is not match ready yet. Meanwhile, Paulo Bernardo has joined James Forrest on the sidelines.
Brendan Rodgers will be making quite a few changes to the XI that started in their last outing with all his first-team stars making a return. Against Bayern Munich, Celtic will line up in a 4-3-3 formation, where Kasper Schmeichel will take charge in goal. Alistair Johnston and Greg Taylor will be the full-backs for them, while Cameron Carter-Vickers and Auston Trusty will feature in the heart of the defence.
In the centre of the park, Callum McGregor will start alongside Reo Hatate and Arne Engels. The trio will have a lot of defensive duties as they will go up against one of the best teams in Europe.
Nicolas Kuhn and Yang Hyun-jun will feature on the flanks, providing the much-needed width to their attacks. Finally, Adam Idah will spearhead the Celtic attack against Bayern Munich on Wednesday.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Schmeichel; Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Trusty, Taylor; Engels, McGregor, Hatate; Kuhn, Idah, Yang
Bayern Munich
Alphonso Davies remains on the sidelines, while Joao Palhinha and Serge Gnabry are both doubtful for this fixture. Vincent Kompany went ahead with a full-strength XI in their last outing, and he is expected to field a similar XI in this fixture.
Against Celtic, Bayern Munich will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, where Manuel Neuer should be in goal. Konrad Laimer and Raphael Guerreiro are expected to be the full-backs, while Dayot Upamecano will partner Kim Min-jae at the heart of the defence.
In the centre of the park, Joshua Kimmich and Aleksandar Pavlovic will form the double pivot. They will look to control the tempo and ensure they dominate the ball. Kingsley Coman and Michael Olise are expected to feature on the flanks providing much-needed width to their attacks. Jamal Musiala will take up the no. 10 role, while Harry Kane will lead the line for Bayern Munich against Celtic.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Neuer; Laimer, Upamecano, Kim, Guerreiro; Kimmich, Pavlovic; Coman, Musiala, Olise; Kane
Key Stats
- Celtic have never won a UEFA Champions League fixture against Bayern Munich. Bayern Munich have won three out of the four UEFA Champions League games against the Scottish champions.
- The last meeting between the two teams took place during the 2017/18 season when Bayern sealed a 2-1 win.
- Bayern Munich are unbeaten in their last 13 matches against Scottish clubs in major European competition (W9 D4), with their last defeat coming against Hearts in the UEFA Cup in February 1989 (0-1). On the other hand, Celtic have won only one of their 12 UEFA Champions League/ European Cup clashes with German opposition (D3 L8), although that victory came in the most recent one, against RB Leipzig in November in the group stages of the Champions League.
- Celtic have won just one of their last 21 games in European competition against teams who have won the European Cup/UEFA Champions League, beating Feyenoord 2-1 in December 2023 (D4 L16).
- Bayern Munich have lost three of their four away matches (W1) in the UEFA Champions League this season. Should Celtic earn a victory on Wednesday, it would be the first time the Bavarian giants will have lost four away games in a single campaign in major European competition.
Player to Watch
Jamal Musiala
With 23 goal contributions in his 29 outings, Musiala is enjoying another exceptional season with Bayern Munich. He has been one of their standout performers and given the kind of form he has been in, the 21-year-old could have a massive say on the result.
Prediction
Celtic 1-3 Bayern Munich
Celtic have made it to the knockout phase for the first time in over 12 years, but they are unlikely to go beyond this stage. The Scottish champions will go up against one of the biggest teams in the world in Bayern Munich.
While the Bavarian giants were inconsistent during the league phase, they are expected to get things together in the knockout rounds. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for Vincent Kompany and his charges for the first leg.
