Jamal Musiala spoke ahead of his team’s big Champions League play-off game against Celtic and revealed that Nicolas Kühn has been pinpointed as the Hoops’ danger man…
Kühn was a teammate of Musiala’s back in Bayern II when they won the Bundesliga third division and he knows all too well about the qualities of the Celtic star.
Nicolas Kühn was denied a sensational goal inside 30 seconds
Nicolas Kühn was denied a sensational goal inside 30 seconds the last time the pair met at Celtic Park on Wednesday night, in what was the first part of this fascinating European encounter. The offside was harsh, unfortunate but ultimately the correct call.
Undeniably, Musiala and his Bayern cohort have the superior quality throughout the side, but Celtic have undoubtedly shown they can compete at this level against most teams, with the Borussia Dortmund hammering back in September being the only hiccup.
Celtic put RB Leipzig to the sword
Since then, this team have come a very long way under Brendan Rodgers and have put RB Leipzig to the sword, whilst gaining a very respectable 0-0 draw in Italy against Gian Piero Gasperini’s Atalanta. Two teams with great pedigree at this level and ones who would have been aiming to go far in the competition have been caused major trouble by the Bhoys this year.
Kühn has been pretty central in this respect for Celtic, wreaking havoc on opposition defences and causing mayhem in the final third. Speaking ahead of the second-leg in Germany tomorrow, Musiala said: “Nicolas played really well against us last week,” as reported by Daily Record.
“At Bayern II, I was 16 or 17 and he was already a big character. We spoke together a lot, had games together and I’ve been delighted to see how he has progressed since then.”
Musiala tips Kühn for international call-up
The 21-year-old even tipped Kühn to make his international bow shortly, with Julian Nagelsmann keeping a close eye on his progress at Paradise. Although ultimately up to the national team coach, Jamal reckons there is no reason why Nicolas couldn’t be capped very soon. “Everything is possible. Julian (Nagelsmann) has a lot of players to choose from, guys who are playing well, so it’s a decision for him,” he said.
Neither Musiala or his team are not taking the threat of the Scottish Premiership Champions lightly and admitted they will have to be at it right from the off to get past Rodgers’ side.
‘It won’t be an easy game, that’s for sure’
“It won’t be an easy game, that’s for sure, we experienced that in Glasgow, so we know what’s coming here. We need to be fresh, to be mentally prepared and we have to give 100 percent, to keep on going, to start strong and hopefully get the win. No one wants excuses. We’re always well prepared and ready to perform as well as possible.
“I think for us it’s always about focussing on ourselves, about getting our habits right, about bringing the right energy and intensity – and then we can adapt to how the opposition plays. We know what we can do, which is what matters most.
‘Everyone wants to reach the final’
“Of course, everyone wants to reach the final, but we can’t look ahead that far. It’s step by step and the next step is beating Celtic.”
Paul Gillespie
