Celtic will play their first Champions League knockout game in 12 years when they welcome German giants Bayern Munich to Glasgow on Wednesday night.
The new group stage format in the tournament has worked wonders for Celtic, but not for Bayern, who face the prospect of failing to reach the last 16 of the tournament for the first time in more than two decades.
Latest Celtic vs Bayern Munich squad information
Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers will make plenty of changes here again after rotating his side heavily in the cup win over Raith at the weekend, with Adam Idah available to return in the hope of extending his excellent recent run of form, which has seen him score four goals in three games.
Daizen Maeda scored a hat-trick against Raith, but will be suspended here following his straight red card against Young Boys on matchday seven, meaning Yang Hyun-jun could start in his place.
Jota is still rebuilding his fitness after 18 months out of football, while Paulo Bernardo is expected to join James Forrest on the sidelines after being forced off in the first half against Raith.
Joao Palhinha and Serge Gnabry are both doubts after missing Bayern's weekend win through illness, while Alphonso Davies remains sidelined with a hamstring problem after recently signing a contract extension at the club.
Kompany resisted the urge to rotate at the weekend, getting the job done with a full-strength squad, and it could look almost identical here, with Harry Kane ready to lead the line on his return to the British Isles.
Leroy Sane scored off the bench against Bremen, but Michael Olise and Kingsley Coman are the most likely duo to start out wide, with the latter scoring in the last meeting between the sides seven-and-a-half years ago.
Latest predicted lineup Celtic vs Bayern Munich
Celtic:
Schmeichel; Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Trusty, Taylor; Engels, McGregor, Hatate; Kuhn, Idah, Yang
Bayern Munich:
Neuer; Laimer, Upamecano, Kim, Guerreiro; Kimmich, Pavlovic; Coman, Musiala, Olise; Kane
Latest Celtic vs Bayern Munich football review
With the Champions League only really just entering its decisive phase, Bayern were on the brink of making unwanted history, after a disappointing start to their European campaign.
Vincent Kompany's side have lost three away games in the Champions League this season and Bayern have never lost four away games in a single European campaign before.
A narrow defeat at Aston Villa followed by crushing defeats at Barcelona and Feyenoord saw Bayern miss out on a top-eight finish and progress straight to the last 16, despite a perfect home record.
The Bavarians have reached the last 16 in 16 consecutive Champions League campaigns, with their last failure to do so being the only time they have been eliminated before that stage since the tournament was rebranded – when they were eliminated at the group stage in a group containing AC Milan, Deportivo La Coruna and Lens in 2002.
There's nothing wrong with their output in the final third, scoring 20 goals in their eight league games, but Bayern have only managed two clean sheets and have even conceded at home to both Dinamo Zagreb and Slovan Bratislava.
A sloppy defence almost cost them in dramatic fashion earlier this month against Holstein Kiel, conceding three late goals in a narrow 4-3 win, but Kompany's men made amends with a routine 3-0 win over Werder Bremen at the weekend to move eight points clear at the top of the Bundesliga.
Facing Scottish opposition has worked in Bayern's favour over the past few decades, with the club going 13 games unbeaten since a 1989 defeat to Hearts in the UEFA Cup and four of those games coming against Celtic.
Bayern won home and away against Celtic in the group stage in 2017, but were held to a 0-0 draw here in 2003.
A 0-0 draw would be a great result on paper for Celtic, but it might not do much for their chances of progressing, given that they then need to go and win at the Allianz Arena.
With no win over Bayern in their history, and just one win in 21 against past Champions League winners, there was little against the hosts, but they finally claimed their first win over a German club in Europe in the league stage, beating RB Leipzig 3-1 at Celtic Park.
More history needs to be changed if they are to go any further here, as Celtic have lost all three of their knockout ties in the Champions League, with their most recent being a 5-0 defeat to Juventus in 2013.
The Hoops reached the last 16 in consecutive seasons in 2007 and 2008, but once again European royalty stood in their way, as AC Milan and Barcelona knocked them out, and a similar mountain to climb lies ahead of them here.
But with 6-0 and 5-0 home wins over Dundee and Raith Rovers in the past week, there will be no shortage of confidence and Celtic remain unbeaten at home in Europe this season.
The win over Leipzig contributed to a record 10 points from their four home games in the group stage, and a similar heroic performance to the one Celtic enjoyed against Barcelona in this competition back in 2012 is needed if they are to have any chance ahead of the second leg.
Latest Celtic vs Bayern Munich score prediction
Based on the above football comments, we and the world's leading football sites have given the following results for the Celtic vs Bayern Munich match:
- Sportsmole: Celtic 0-2 Bayern Munich
- WhoScore: Celtic 0-1 Bayern Munich
- Our prediction: Celtic 0-2 Bayern Munich
When and where to watch Celtic vs Bayern Munich live?
To watch live the Celtic vs Bayern Munich match in the Champion League taking place at 3:00 on February 13, viewers can watch on K+ Sport, K+PM or online sports channels. Wishing viewers happy moments of watching football.
Source: https://baodaknong.vn/nhan-dinh-du-doan-celtic-vs-bayern-munich-qua-de-cho-hum-xam-242506.html
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