Celtic vs Bayern Munich Preview and Prediction: A Win is a Must-Win Situation

Latest team news for Celtic vs Bayern Munich

Heading into their crucial upcoming match, Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers is expected to make a number of notable changes to the starting lineup, following his significant rotation in the weekend's Coppa Italia victory over Raith. With his recent impressive form, striker Adam Idah is poised to return to the starting XI and continue his impressive run, having scored four goals in his last three games. Idah's resurgence promises to inject new life into Celtic's attack and boost their confidence ahead of important matches.

However, not everything is going smoothly for Celtic. Midfielder Daizen Maeda, who recently had a brilliant performance with a hat-trick against Raith, will be unavailable for the next match due to suspension. He received a direct red card in the seventh matchday against Young Boys, meaning young talent Yang Hyun-jun may be given the opportunity to start, replacing Maeda. Maeda's absence will undoubtedly affect Celtic's attacking strength, but it also presents an opportunity for Yang Hyun-jun to showcase his abilities and prove his worth.

Furthermore, midfielder Jota is still recovering and rebuilding his fitness after 18 months without regular playing time, a prolonged interruption that has significantly impacted his form. In addition, Paulo Bernardo is also expected to join the list of players sidelined, along with James Forrest, after being forced to leave the field in the first half of the match against Raith due to an unexpected injury.

On the other side of the pitch, Bayern Munich is also facing certain difficulties in terms of squad availability. Midfielder Joao Palhinha and striker Serge Gnabry are both doubtful after missing last weekend's victory against Werder Bremen due to health issues. The absence of these two players will certainly affect Bayern Munich's attacking strength and midfield control. Defender Alphonso Davies will also continue to be sidelined due to a hamstring problem. Although Davies has extended his contract with the club, he is still unable to return to the pitch and contribute to the team.

Manager Vincent Kompany showed determination and confidence in his key players by not making too many rotations in the match against Bremen last weekend. He fielded the strongest possible team to ensure victory, and it is highly likely he will continue to use a nearly identical lineup in the upcoming match, led by star striker Harry Kane. This return to the British Isles will undoubtedly bring Kane special emotions and great motivation. Leroy Sane scored a goal after coming on as a substitute against Bremen, but he will most likely have to give up his starting position to the talented attacking duo of Michael Olise and Kingsley Coman. This pair is expected to create breakthroughs and cause difficulties for Celtic's defense. Interestingly, Kingsley Coman was also the goalscorer in the last encounter between the two teams seven and a half years ago.

Latest predicted lineups for 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 football match prediction: Celtic vs Bayern Munich

With the Champions League knockout stage only just beginning, Bayern Munich faces the risk of writing a dark chapter in their glorious history, after a less-than-ideal start to this season's European competition. Vincent Kompany's team has already suffered three away defeats in the Champions League this season.

Previously, the Bavarian giants had never experienced such a dismal run of form, losing four away games in a single European campaign. This disappointing streak began with a narrow defeat against Aston Villa, followed by crushing losses against Barcelona and Feyenoord, causing Bayern Munich to miss out on a top-eight finish and forcing them into the risky play-off round. Despite a difficult and challenging group stage, Bayern Munich still demonstrated their resilience and strength by maintaining a perfect home record, striking fear into every opponent who traveled to their home ground.

Reaching the round of 16 has become a habit for Bayern Munich, having achieved this in 16 consecutive Champions League campaigns. The last time the team was eliminated before this stage was a long time ago, in the 2002 season, before the most prestigious European competition had even changed its name. Back then, Bayern Munich suffered a bitter defeat, being knocked out in the group stage in a group that included formidable teams like AC Milan, Deportivo La Coruna, and Lens. Looking at their attack, there's clearly not much to blame the Bayern Munich strikers for. Proof of this is their impressive record of scoring 20 goals in just 8 group stage matches. However, the biggest problem for the Bavarian team lies in their defense, where they have only managed to keep a clean sheet in two matches and even conceded goals at home against weaker opponents like Dinamo Zagreb and Slovan Bratislava.

A leaky and unreliable defense nearly cost Bayern Munich dearly, resulting in an unexpected defeat against Holstein Kiel in the German Cup earlier this month. In that match, they conceded three goals in the final minutes, only managing a narrow 4-3 victory. Learning from their mistakes, coach Vincent Kompany's team quickly regained their confidence and showed their mettle by thrashing Werder Bremen 3-0 this weekend, thus consolidating their position at the top of the Bundesliga table, with an 8-point lead over the second-placed team. Facing an opponent from Scotland is not an unfamiliar challenge for Bayern Munich. Over the past few decades, they have gone 13 matches unbeaten against English teams since their defeat to Hearts in 1989 in the UEFA Cup, and four of those were encounters with Celtic.

In their encounters with Celtic, Bayern Munich have won both at home and away during the 2017 Champions League group stage. However, they were held to a 0-0 draw at Celtic Park in 2003. A goalless draw might not be a bad result in theory for Celtic. However, it might not significantly improve their chances of progressing, especially considering they will have to travel to the Allianz Arena and win the second leg. Despite never having beaten Bayern Munich in their head-to-head history, and having only won once in 21 previous encounters with Champions League winners, Celtic pulled off a major upset this season by beating RB Leipzig 3-1 at home, and the manager and fans have reason to hope for another miracle. To progress further in the Champions League, Celtic need to rewrite history and give their all in the upcoming matches. A notable statistic shows that Celtic have lost all three of their most recent knockout matches in the Champions League, with the most recent being a 0-5 aggregate defeat against Juventus in 2013, indicating significant improvement needed if they want to overcome the challenge.

"The Hoops" reached the last 16 for two consecutive seasons, in 2007 and 2008; however, another powerhouse of European football blocked their path, with AC Milan and Barcelona successively eliminating Celtic. With a similar mountain to climb ahead, the coach and players understand the challenges they face, especially considering Bayern's previous dominance in European competition with a total of six Champions League titles.

Despite the difficulties, Celtic still have reason to be confident playing at home, where they secured resounding victories with 6-0 wins against Dundee and 5-0 against Raith Rovers last week. Confidence is higher than ever, and they maintain an unbeaten home record in European competitions this season. The win against Leipzig not only secured three valuable points but also added to an impressive record of 10 points from four home games in the group stage. Clearly, the Scottish team has a very strong home advantage. They need a heroic performance, similar to the one they delivered against Barcelona in this competition back in 2012, if they want any chance ahead of the tough second leg at the Allianz Arena.

Latest Celtic vs Bayern Munich score prediction

Based on the above football analysis, we and leading football websites worldwide have provided our predictions for the match.Celtic vs Bayern Munichas follows:

• Sportsmole:Celtic 0-2 Bayern Munich

• WhoScore:Celtic 0-1 Bayern Munich
• Our newspaper predicts:Celtic 0-2 Bayern Munich

When and where can I watch Celtic vs Bayern Munich live?

To watch the Celtic vs Bayern Munich match live in the Champions League at 3:00 AM on February 13th, viewers can tune in to the following channels:K+ Sport,K+PMor online sports channels. We hope you enjoy watching football.