Bayern Munich v Celtic: Bavarians to progress, but Celtic no pushovers | OneFootball

UEFA Champions League

Harry Kane netted in Bayern's 2-1 first-leg win at Celtic

Bayern Munich are in pole position to overcome Celtic in their Champions League playoff, but Kevin Hatchard believes the Scottish champions can at least do themselves justice...

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Bayern Munich v CelticTuesday 18 February, 20:00

Bayern backlash on the cards

Bayern Munich don't like being embarrassed, and even though the Bavarian giants ground out a goalless draw at title rivals Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday night, they were completely outplayed. For the first time since records began in 1992, Bayern failed to have a single shot in an entire half of Bundesliga football, and their first goal attempt didn't come until the 72nd minute.

Bayern were impotent in attack, and required luck at the other end. Leverkusen hit the bar twice, had an effort cleared off the line and their star man Florian Wirtz missed a golden opportunity right at the end. If you can suffer a 0-0 battering, that's what happened to Bayern.

All of this should spark a reaction in a team that has been far more effective at home than on the road. Bayern have won all but two of their home matches in all competitions, and both of those failures were against Bayer Leverkusen.

It's also worth remembering that Bayern have an eight-point lead in the Bundesliga, and a 2-1 advantage here after victory in Glasgow last week. Goals from Michael Olise and Harry Kane put Bayern in command before Daizen Maeda's scrappy goal sparked a comeback.

Alphonso Davies and Joao Palhinha missed the first leg with injury, and they are doubts here. Leroy Sane is pushing for a recall after he started the first leg in Glasgow.

Celtic showed they can compete

Although Celtic lost last week, they stayed in the game, and only an offside call prevented them from roaring into a first-minute lead. They kept their shape impressively, although their lax far-post defending for Harry Kane's goal was a bitter pill to swallow. Brendan Rodgers has clearly learned lessons from Celtic's more naive European displays, not least the feeble display in Dortmund, which saw a flaky BVB romp to a 7-1 win.

Celtic's domestic dominance continued at the weekend, as they demolished Dundee United 3-0. The Bhoys are a hefty 14 points clear of Rangers at the top of the Scottish Premiership, so these European clashes are a big jump in quality, but Rodgers' team hasn't looked as out of place this term as has been the case in a lot of recent campaigns.

The one thing that really disappointed Rodgers in the first leg was Celtic's pressing. When the Scottish champions turned up the aggression in the second half, they caused Bayern a lot of problems, but they were a touch too passive at times in the first half. At the other end, poor decision-making cost them: Daizen Maeda failed to spot Adam Idah going clean through in the first half, and Republic of Ireland striker Idah saw a similar run ignored in the second.

These are the kind of moments Celtic have to make better use of in the second leg, and they certainly have the pace to expose Bayern's high defensive line. Maeda and Kuhn are wide threats, and Idah makes clever runs. If you look at some of Bayern's recent home games, they coughed up three goals against struggling Holstein Kiel, two against Wolfsburg and two against Heidenheim. Although they have a strong defensive record in the Bundesliga, they do give you space to play.

James Forrest and Paulo Bernardo are still sidelined, and are likely to miss the trip to Munich.

Bayern to reach the last 16, but Celtic will go down swinging

Bayern are a prohibitive 2/13 to win here, but we have give that an enormous boost to 13/10 if we back Bayern to win and Both Teams To Score on the Sportsbook. That has paid out in five of Bayern's last six victories in all competitions, including the first leg, and I believe Celtic can at least score here.

Musiala magic to reappear

It was an unusually tough game for Jamal Musiala against Bayer on Saturday, as he was caged on the periphery, but he should find life easier here. The German international has 15 goals in all competitions, and he's been working with coach Vincent Kompany on getting into the box more often.

At 7/5, Musiala is well worth backing in the Anytime Goalscorer market on the Sportsbook.

Recommended bets

Back Bayern to win and BTTS @ 13/10

Back Jamal Musiala to score @ 7/5