What are Celtic's chances against Bayern Munich?

Craig Fowler looks at what Brendan Rodgers and his side can expect from the German champions, and whether there's any chance of an upset.

Jupp Heynckes has returned to the club to take charge for the remainder of the season. Picture: AFP/Getty

What’s gone wrong at Bayern?

The Bavarian club have dropped points in three of their opening seven league games, with one defeat. It may seem like an overreaction to part with their manager after such a start, but the problems with Carlo Ancelotti’s tenure ran a lot deeper.

There already existed a feeling of ill-will towards the manager after a slow start to the previous campaign, where RB Leipzig led the title race for a few weeks, and a disastrous April which saw them eliminated from the Champions League and lose a German Cup semi-final to Borussia Dortmund.

Then there were the splits inside the camp. Ancelotti wasn’t helped by the loss of Philipp Lahm and Xabi Alonso after the influential veterans decided to retire in the summer, but the fact remains that five players - thought to be Mats Hummels, Thomas Müller, Franck Ribéry, Jerome Boateng and Arjen Robben - were openly rebelling against him.

The final straw came in the form of a 3-0 defeat to PSG. It was Bayern’s worst ever Champions League group stage result and could scarcely have come against worse opponents. The club’s hierarchy have been critical of the French side’s spending in the past, and would have suffered through every minute of the comprehensive 90-minute showing.

Can the managerial change offer Celtic a boost?

Those within the Bayern camp who insisted Ancelotti was the main problem saw their argument weakened by the first result after his exit, as they drew 2-2 with Hertha Berlin under the interim charge of Willy Sagnol.

However, those same players will have been pleased to hear that Jupp Heynckes was returning to the club to take temporary charge for the remainder of the campaign. Four of the five alleged members of the rebel group started Heynckes last match in charge of Munich, the 2013 Champions League final victory over Borussia Dortmund. (Funnily enough, Hummels and fellow Bayern team-mate Robert Lewandowski were on the losing side that day.)

Heynckes was moved aside for the arrival of Pep Guardiola that summer and, even though the 72-year-old has achieved so much in the game, he’ll want to prove that was the wrong decision.

Though it’ll be of benefit to inherit a squad he’s already largely familiar with, the advancing age of some of the more influential players has been a cause for concern. Hummels, Lewandowski, Müller and Boateng are all in their late 20s, while Robben and Ribéry are both in their mid-30s. Showing loyalty to his former players may not be what’s required for Bayern to turn their season around.

Can Celtic avoid a PSG-type score?

The possibility is always there. Bayern Munich have won by four of more goals on 12 separate occasions in the past five Champions League campaigns. And these beatings haven’t always been a case of the strapping sixth year pupil bog-washing a spindly little first year newbie, either. Roma, Porto, Barcelona, Milan and Arsenal (three times) have all taken black eyes from the German powerhouse.

They did, however, only manage to defeat Anderlecht by three goals at home on matchday one. And seeing as we all saw how bad the Belgians were against Celtic, it would indicate a one-sided hammering is less likely to occur on this occasion.

Having said that, the previous scoreline was achieved while Bayern’s team harmony was at a low with Ancelotti soon heading for the exit door. Things may soon change.

Conclusion

There’s never a good time to play Bayern Munich in the Allianz Arena, but this may be as close as Celtic are going to get. It’s an ageing squad in turmoil with an old manager returning to sort everything out.

However, regardless of the number of miles each first-team member has logged in their careers, they remain world class players and there is absolutely no doubt they are superior to their opponents next Wednesday.

Accepting a narrow defeat is not something Brendan Rodgers nor his players will accept, but it would make the excursion worthwhile if they can give a respectable account of themselves and maybe pick up on one or two weaknesses which can be exploited back at Parkhead 13 days later.