Bayern Munich v Celtic – “We leave nothing on the pitch,” Callum McGregor

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The Celtic Star

·17 February 2025

Bayern Munich v Celtic – “We leave nothing on the pitch,” Callum McGregor

“We give it absolutely everything we’ve got, and we leave nothing on the pitch,” Callum McGregor…

Callum McGregor of Celtic celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Premiership match between Celtic and Dundee United at Celtic Park on February 15, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Celtic head into their most important match in years tomorrow night against the colossus that is Bayern Munich. Our reward for getting to the UEFA Champions League play-off round was a set-two with either Real Madrid or the Bavarian giants and the latter came out of the hat. It would have been a daunting task no matter who we faced but we showed in glimpses last week at Celtic Park we can compete with Europe’s very best.

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Bayern Munich firmly in the driving seat

That 2-1 win for Bayern Munich puts them firmly in the driving seat for the second half of the tie at the Allianz Arena this Tuesday, and with a phenomenal home record, the odds are stacked against Brendan Rodgers and his men progressing any further.

Daizen Maeda of Celtic scores against Bayern Munich in the Champions League match on February 12, 2025. Photo IMAGO.

However, with only one goal in it, everything is still to play for and the Hoops should not be disheartened by all accounts, as they had Bayern on the ropes in the closing stages of the game at Parkhead and could have also had a penalty and another goal – if it weren’t for Adam Idah blocking Manuel Neuer’s eyeline from an offside position.

Calmac believes Celtic can get a result

The Celtic skipper is adamant that his team can get a shock result on the night and take the game to the Bundesliga club, but that the Bhoys will have to be at their absolute maximum level to stand any chance of this unfolding tomorrow evening.

Daizen Maeda causing havoc in the Bayern Munich defence. Celtic v Bayern Munich, Champions League play-off, on 12 February 2025 at Celtic Park. Photo Imago.

“Yeah, I think so,” he said in relation to Celtic needing to be virtually infallible at the Allianz Arena. “I think we have to max out in terms of performance level, and there’s no reason why we can’t. Having seen what we’ve seen in the first game, yes, we need a bit of luck and we need to be really good on the night, but like I said, we just go and we leave nothing on the pitch and see where we go from there. It would be brilliant obviously and that’s the aim now. I want us to come off with no regrets and see where we can get to,” McGregor said.

‘We’re still right in the game’

“Obviously, we’re still right in the game. When you get to these games, everybody’s got to believe that you can win the game,” Calmac added, via a Daily Record report. “And even the way the game played out, there were very small margins in terms of the game, and on another night, with a different referee, who knows? The number one aspect was that the performance was there, we’re still in the game. I think if one of the big teams loses 2-1, then everybody still thinks they’re in the tie, so I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t feel that way. And especially the last 25 minutes, that gives us a good template for the game.”

Daizen Maeda of Celtic scores against Bayern Munich in the Champions League match on February 12, 2025. Photo IMAGO.

‘They knew they were in a game anyway’

“They knew they were in a game anyway, but you see at the end, their reaction when the whistle goes, they were happy to get over the line at 2-1. That’s a big compliment when top players are celebrating winning the game when the final whistle goes, you see how much it means to them. What we did in the last 25 minutes, we made them defend, we created really good situations in the game, and maybe on another night we could have got something.

‘It gives us good belief’

“It gives us good belief. If we can change the momentum of the game, and have a wee bit more of the ball, and make them defend, then you see that we could be good in the game. That has to be the mindset for the players now, to recover, and then when we arrive into Tuesday night, we give it absolutely everything we’ve got, and we leave nothing on the pitch, and see where we go.”

Jota of Celtic reacts to missed opportunity Celtic v Bayern Munich, UEFA Champions League, Knockout Round Play-offs, First Leg at Celtic Park on 12 February 2025. Photo Stuart Wallace/Shutterstock

Our midfield lynchpin has acknowledged the strides Celtic have made in Europe this year, with one or two maybe prompting people to tune into the matches or highlights afterwards. Calmac wants more of the same this week and thinks both he and his teammates can get the chatter flowing with a great result in Munich. “That’s it,” he said. “We’ll only do that by results, probably first and foremost, results are what makes people sit up and say, right, we’ll watch the game and see why. The performance level has got to be there, but results have got to be there as well, and that’s what we’ve done I think.

‘That’s on us to keep improving’

“There’s been a few results throughout the time that maybe people watching the Champions League scores coming in have looked and thought, ‘right, okay, what’s going on here, Celtic have got a result, let’s have a look at the game’ And then, when teams like Bayern turn up, then they give you that respect because you’ve beat Leipzig, you’ve drawn against Atalanta, really top teams. That’s on us to keep improving and keep trying to narrow that gap as much as we can.”

Paul Gillespie

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