Celtic vs Bayern Munich prediction: EUROPE: Champions League – Play Offs betting tips on match 2025-02-11 20:00.
[p]A mammoth clash for Celtic is set to ensue as the Scottish league leaders will feature in their first UEFA Champions League (UCL) knockout tie since being swept aside by Juventus in 2012/13. That was the most recent of their three prior progressions to any form of UCL knockout tie, with Celtic knocked out in each and failing to win their home leg on any occasion (D1, L2). [/p]
[p]Home form is crucial for the Hoops, who picked up ten of their 12 league phase points in Glasgow (W3, D1) to squeeze through to this play-off. Manager Brendan Rodgers knows this opposition well after a pair of defeats against Bayern Munich with Celtic in the 2017/18 group stage, although he comes into this having ended a five-game run of losses against Bundesliga opponents with their 3-1 win over Leipzig earlier this season. [/p]
[p]Currently steamrolling their way to the Bundesliga title, Vincent Kompany’s Bayern enter this play-off in search of reaching a 17th consecutive UCL round of 16. Missing out on direct passage to the last 16 by just a single point, the Bavarians can largely attribute that failure to their questionable away form in the competition this season (W1, L3), losing as heavy favourites in two of those trips. [/p]
[p]One more away loss would set a negative record for European away defeats in a single season for Bayern, yet their record against Scottish opposition should help boost hopes they can avoid that fate (W10, D6, L3). That run includes a six-game unbeaten run away to Scottish sides (W3, D3) within which was a 2-1 win here in 2017, and scoring a handful of goals could again be the key considering Bayern have failed to keep a clean sheet in five of their last seven competitive trips. [/p]
[p]Players to watch: Adam Idah finds himself in red-hot form for Celtic, scoring four times across his last three appearances including both of his side’s goals in their last UCL outing. The only remaining outfield player from Bayern’s starting XI in the 2017 trip here, Kingsley Coman, scored the opener on that day and also found the net in their last UCL match. [/p]
[p]Hot stat: Celtic have failed to win 20 of their last 21 continental games against former UCL/European Cup winners (D4, L16). [/p]
[p][i]Written by Matthew Billon[/i][/p]