One more day is all that separates Celtic and a potentially explosive UEFA Champions League knockout tie against Bayern Munich at Celtic Park…
The club welcomes the German side to Paradise once again under the lights and Brendan Rodgers will be hoping his team can give as good as they get and show why we haven’t been beaten at home in Europe this year.
With the new format, Celtic had four home games and four away and whilst it was a mixed bag on the road, it has to be said, we performed really strongly in Glasgow and made life difficult for all who entered our abode. A 5-1 thumping of Slovan Bratislava set the tone for our home form this time out and we followed that up with a sensational 3-1 rout of RB Leipzig, whilst we also manager to see off BSC Young Boys and drew 1-1 with Club Brugge.
Restoring Fortress Paradise
Yes, it’s been extremely pleasing on the eye this year, witnessing our team help restore fortress Paradise to its former glory. Many have visited through the years and fallen on the sword, in the ground which Fergus McCann built for us all those years ago and which still holds the highest capacity in Scottish football. That advantage is not only domestically but helps exponentially in European competition – allowing us to create a tremendous atmosphere which can intimidate the opposition.
We’ve witnessed some crackers over the years and amongst the famous names is Manchester United. United were famously beaten by Celtic in 2006, thanks to a sublime Shunsuke Nakamura free-kick which beat Edwin Van Der Saar and seal all three points for the Bhoys that evening. Paul Scholes played at Celtic Park that evening and will know all too well about our ability to conjure up the spectacular in that sort of atmosphere under those night lights.
‘They can beat anybody at home. Not a problem’
Speaking on The Overlap Fan Debate, Scholes admitted that the Hoops can beat anybody at home in European football and reckons they’ve also tightened up a fair bit on the road too. Previewing the huge clash tomorrow, the United legend said: “When I think of Celtic in the Champions League and European competition, I think they can beat anybody at home. Not a problem. But they always got beat away. It seems like they’ve got a little bit more solid away from home.”
Paul Gillespie
