Can Celtic pose a challenge to Bayern Munich?

A FRAGILE ADVANTAGE

In the first leg of the play-off for a place in the 2024-2025 Champions League Round of 16, taking place at 3 AM on February 13th, Celtic will play at home. This is a huge advantage for Brendan Rodgers' team, as they currently boast a streak of 10 consecutive wins at Celtic Park. Within the most prestigious European club competition, the Scottish representative is unbeaten in their last 5 home matches. Conversely, Bayern Munich has only won 1 of their last 5 away games. All 3 defeats suffered by Vincent Kompany's team in the Champions League group stage came away from home, against Aston Villa, Barcelona, ​​and Feyenoord.

With Harry Kane in top form, Bayern Munich have a good chance of winning against Celtic.

Before the match, manager Rodgers also mentioned the home advantage to encourage himself and his players. He shared: "We have some great players in the squad and we are at a high level of confidence. The upcoming night will be incredibly exciting. 60,000 people will be cheering on Celtic and we will get a lot of energy from that. We will cause a lot of problems for Bayern Munich and let's see how things go."

"THE GRAY TIGER" STILL EXCEL

However, this seems to be Celtic's only advantage. What manager Rodgers emphasized before this match was mainly the mental strength of the players. In reality, Bayern Munich's technical strength is superior. Their star-studded attack, including Jamal Musiala, Leroy Sane, and Harry Kane, poses a significant challenge to Celtic's defense. Despite not being in top form this season, Bayern Munich is among the top scorers, having found the net 20 times. Currently, Kane is leading the race for the European Golden Boot with 21 goals, level with Liverpool's Mohamed Salah. Across all competitions, the England captain has scored 28 goals and provided 10 assists – incredibly impressive numbers.

Furthermore, Bayern Munich's ball control is incredibly impressive. In their last 10 matches, their average possession rate has exceeded 70%. This allows Kompany's players to consistently control the game and create numerous opportunities. However, they also need to be cautious when pushing forward in attack, as Celtic are very adept at transitioning from defense to attack.

Bayern Munich will focus all their efforts on the Champions League. In this season's Bundesliga, the Bavarian team is on a seven-match winning streak, dominating the top of the table. The gap between them and second-placed Bayer Leverkusen has now widened to nine points. Unless something unexpected happens, Bayern Munich will reclaim the German title after a season dominated by Xabi Alonso's team. With less pressure in the domestic league, Bayern Munich will concentrate especially on their away match against Celtic to gain an advantage in securing a place in the round of 16.

Celtic didn't perform particularly well in the Champions League group stage this season. Despite a favorable draw with their Group 1 and Group 2 opponents being only Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Atalanta, and Club Brugge, they finished 21st with 12 points. The Scottish side has virtually no experience playing against the "big teams" this season. Furthermore, Celtic's head-to-head record against Bayern Munich is very poor, with only one draw and three losses. This is why many experts believe Celtic are unlikely to spring a surprise against the "Bavarian giants" in the upcoming match.

In the matches taking place in the early hours of February 13th, the remaining three pairings were Club Brugge - Atalanta, Monaco - Benfica, and Feyenoord - AC Milan.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/celtic-co-du-suc-lam-kho-hum-xam-185250211213114764.htm