Celtic given tough draw in Champions League group stage draw

Some of the biggest names in football will be heading to Parkhead this season, after Celtic were drawn in the same Champions League group as Bayern Munich and PSG.

Brendan Rodgers will have his hands full with the draw

Brendan Rodgers’ side won’t have far to travel having avoid some of the more far-flung UEFA nations, but the German Champions and the moneybags side from Paris will present a stiff test, especially after the latter’s summer spending spree.

Belgian champions Anderlecht round out the group, given Celtic a decent chance of securing at least a place in the Europa League, which they will secure with a third place finish.

Bayern Munich have been European champions five times, most recently in 2013, when they defeated domestic rivals Borussia Dortmund at Wembley.

They bolstered their squad with the loan signing of James Rodriguez from Real Madrid, and are targeting their sixth succesive Bundesliga title.

Paris Saint-Germain lost out to Monaco in the race for the Ligue 1 title, and responded with a series of transfers that shocked the world of football.

The Qatari-owned club shattered the world-record for a transfer fee when they splashed out over £200m on signing Brazilian star Neymar from Barcelona.

They are also heavily linked with a move for Monaco’s Kylian Mbappe.

While the group makes progress to the second round much less likely, Celtic fans will be enthused with welcoming some of the biggest names in the sport to sample Celtic Park’s electric European atmosphere.

One stat will give Celtic fans pause for thought, however.

Opta noted shortly after the draw that Neymar a hand in 10 goals (four scored by himself, six assisted by him) in just four Champions League games against Celtic.