5 things that have to happen for Celtic to defeat Bayern Munich

Moussa Dembele is in line to start for the Scottish champions on Tuesday night. Picture: Getty

Celtic's historic day clouded by unease in draw with Kilmarnock

But there is no such thing as a certainty in football and Celtic do have a history of causing upsets at their famous Parkhead home.

We look at the tactical approach and aspects of the match which have to go in the hosts’ favour if they’re going to have any chance of adding to such scalps as Barcelona, Milan and Manchester United in recent years.

1. Moussa Dembele must start and excel

Leigh Griffiths has improved as a forward with his back to goal throughout his Celtic career, but it’s still not his game. It’s not his fault, he’s a short and sharp striker; one who looks to spin in behind and sprint on to chances around the area with rapid acceleration.

Whether it’s their gameplan or not (more on that in a second) Celtic will be pinned back in their own half for sustained periods. When they get the ball, though they’ll likely want to pass it out with care and precision, thereby keeping possession, in all likelihood they’ll be forced to go long on occasion. When they do Dembele has to do his best to make something out of nothing. He doesn’t necessarily have to win the ball every time, fight off the attention of three opponents and patiently wait for back-up to arrive. He just has to make it harder for the Bayern defenders to win the initial tussle under the aerial ball, giving his supporting team-mates a better chance of getting to the second ball.

And, most importantly, when he gets a chance he has to find the back of the net.

2. Be more pragmatic

Rodgers has plainly stated that he’s not interested in parking the bus. He’d rather lose while sticking to his and the team’s philosophy than succumb to a narrower defeat where they barely cross halfway.

It’s admirable, but may not be the best course of action if the club are going to cause an upset and give themselves the faintest glimmer of hope of reaching the last 16. Barely anyone remembers that Celtic had only 16 per cent possession in their victory over Barcelona, and those who do don’t care. It’s the victory, the triumph against a formidable opponent, that everyone recalls and rejoices about to this day.

Rodgers pointed to his side’s 7-0 loss to Barcelona in the opening group match as last year’s competition for proof that it can just as easily end in disaster when a team in Celtic’s position goes defensive. That’s certainly true, but as anyone who watched the game that night will tell you, even though Rodgers’ men lined up in the formation of a defensive side, they forgot how to play like one. Instead of scrapping and fighting for every ball, getting in the faces of their hosts and disrupting their rhythm, they were strangely passive, showing too much respect.

Celtic don’t even have to park the bus, and certainly not for the full 90 minutes. They just have to focus their energy into keeping Bayern Munich at bay for the opening 30 minutes, maybe even the opening hour. Then they can begin to play their way into the match, taking advantage of the visitors’ mounting frustration.

3. Defend cross balls

A particular weakness they have to pay attention to is their defending of crosses. All three of Bayern Munich’s goals against Celtic in the last game came from cross balls. It was the same story in the defeat against PSG. While some of these deliveries could barely be helped from a tactical point of view - Kingsley Coman victimising Cristian Gambos, for example - there has sometimes been a lack of defensive motivation from the supporting midfielders at times, particularly Scott Sinclair.

As we’ve just touched upon, in games such as this one, where the opponent is so fearsome, so mighty, there is not a single player who can neglect their defensive duties.

You can’t stop every cross coming into the box, so the centre-backs will also have to do a better job of tracking their markers and clearing the danger. Speaking of which...

4. Find a temporary centre-back solution

The lack of available centre-backs hampered Celtic in both of their matches against PSG and Bayern to this point. Not directly, as Mikael Lustig moved into the centre admirably on both occasions, but through having a lack of experience (in the case of Anthony Ralston) or a lack of quality (in the case of Cristian Gamboa) at the right-back spot.

Rodgers went with this option because, after performing poorly in the second leg in Astana and having a few hairy moments in domestic football, Nir Bitton was deemed not to be trusted. That being said, with alternative plans failing to bring the desired results, maybe it’s time to deploy the Israeli in the heart of the defence once more.

His most impressive performance of the season to date came in the away leg in Rosenborg. Replacing the injured Erik Sviatchenko in the back-line, Bitton looked comfortable and composed alongside Jozo Simunovic.

His poorer performances in the unfamiliar position have been blighted by a lack of concentration. While such a weakness will be ruthlessly exploited by Munich if it rears its head on Tuesday night, the electric atmosphere and intensity of the occasion may be what’s required to keep Bitton focused from first minute to last.

5. Luck

Bayern Munich will likely have more possession and create a greater number of shots on goal, regardless of how well Celtic play and which approach they use.Simply, the hosts have to hope that Bayern Munich don’t take their chances, and be ruthless when opportunities are presented at the other end.

Luck will always play a small part in some football match, even if you create your own. It’s up to Celtic to increase the chances of it smiling upon them.

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