Celtic's Champions League rivals press panic button and plea 'don't worsen an already stressful situation'

Celtic's Champions League rivals Dinamo Zagreb have sacked manager Sergej Jakirovic following their 9-2 humiliation by Bayern Munich earlier this week.

The Croatian champions were thrashed in Bavaria and as a result, Jakirovic has been removed from his post. Dinamo Zagreb are one of the teams Celtic are due to face in the revamped European competition, with Brendan Rodgers' men due at the Maksimir Stadion on December 10.

In a statement on their website announcing Jakirovic's departure, the Croats posted: "GNK Dinamo would like to inform the public that a mutual termination of the contract with the former coach of the Blues, Sergej Jakirović, has been agreed upon. The first team will be led by former member of the professional staff, Sandro Perković, until the decision on a new long-term coaching solution is made.

Sergej Jakirovic will not be in the Dinamo Zagreb dugout when they face Celtic. | Getty Images

"We thank Sergej Jakirović from the bottom of our hearts for everything he has given for our club and wish him the best of luck and success in his future career. We hereby appeal to the media and the public to be understanding towards Sergej Jakirović and his family and not to worsen an already stressful situation."

Dinamo president Velimir Zajec added: "First of all, I want to thank Sergej Jakirović for all the results he achieved. We had a pleasant cooperation, he left an impression on me of a quality person and I wish him the best of luck in his future career.

"The most important thing in these situations is to remain human, and to put Dinamo's interests first. It is now up to all of us to make a quality decision about a new coach at this difficult moment for Dinamo and to return to the winning ways."

Conversely, Celtic started their Champions League with a huge victory, overcoming Slovan Bratislava 5-1 at Celtic Park. They currently sit second in the standings ahead of the final gameweek one fixtures on Thursday night.