Celtic TV caught up with Arne Engels ahead of his team’s big clash with Bayern Munich tonight in the Allianz Arena…
“We know that we are able to play against them and hurt them,” Arne Engels
The Belgian international midfielder who is the Hoops’ record-signing used to play his football in Bayern’s backyard, when he was doing his thing for FC Augsburg in the Bundesliga, so will know all too well just how formidable tonight’s opponents can be at home.
With a European record that most club’s would envy on home soil and an embarrassment of riches at their disposal, it really is going to be a mammoth undertaking for Arne Engels and his comrades later on in the German city. Despite that, Arne is confident in their ability and insisted that they’ve shown they have the desired quality to cause Bayern problems.
Speaking to Celtic TV, he said: “Everybody is really excited for the game, everybody is ready and knows what is coming towards them. We can’t wait to start the game and hopefully get a result here. I think we gained a lot of confidence [at Celtic Park]. We know that we are also able to play against them and hurt them. You saw that especially in the first minute that we can hurt them really quickly, so it’s up to us to keep on doing the same things that we always do, and try to do even better than that, and then, hopefully, the result comes with it.”
“It will be a good atmosphere, but nothing like at home”
With the engine-room operator now returning to the Allianz for the third consecutive season in a row, he knows first-hand what an awesome stadium it is to play your football in, although he reckons it’s not a patch on Paradise. “It’s a really big stadium with a lot of people inside, but maybe it’s not like Celtic Park,” he said. “I would say, it will be a good atmosphere, but nothing like at home.”
The 21-year-old invoked the words of the immortal (and possibly Saint) Tommy Burns, in reference to the Celtic support and their backing, adding:
“In every game they are always there, supporting us and pushing us forward, so again this will be a really nice feeling. We are all looking forward to seeing them and hopefully they can push us a little bit forward to the end and get a result,” Arne Engels
Paul Gillespie
…and you can’t match O’Riley for goals, balls or assists son