Toothless Bayern Munich prepare for Celtic Champions League arrival with huge Bundesliga result

Bayern Munich prepared for Celtic’s arrival next week with a precious goalless draw with nearest Bundesliga rivals Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday evening.

The Bavarian giants host Celtic on Tuesday evening in the second leg of their Champions League play-off tie with a 2-1 lead from the first match in Glasgow. However, before that clash with the Scottish Premiership leaders, they had to navigate a tricky visit to Leverkusen - the team that dethroned them in Germany last season.

Bayern Munich did not manage a shot on target from two attempts at the BayArena but put in a herculean defensive effort to keep Leverkusen out and earn a goalless draw. The hosts dominated much of the game and so nearly won in stoppage time when Florian Wirtz fired wide from close range.

Bayer Leverkusen kept Bayern Munich talisman Harry Kane quiet. | Getty Images

As a result, Bayern Munich preserved their eight-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga, with head coach Vincent Kompany no doubt satisfied with how his team kept out their nearest rivals.

Kompany named a strong team for the match, with centre-half Kim Minjae restored to the backline alongside Dayot Upamecano in place of Eric Dier. Raphael Guerriero, Leon Goretzka and Leroy Sane were the three other players swapped out of the starting XI that took on Celtic last Wednesday. Key striker Harry Kane started but was often an isolated presence in attack.

Bayern will now head back to Munich to prepare for the visit of Brendan Rodgers’ men, who were 3-0 victors over Dundee United on Saturday. Kompany’s men are currently on a seven-game winning run at the Allianz Arena.