Celtic have impressed on their march to the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League but face a big step in class for the play-offs as they take on mighty Bayern Munich.
Many pundits feared the worst for Brendan Rodgers' side when they crashed to a 7-1 defeat away to Dortmund in their second match of the revamped league phase, with a full house of bets landing for our man Gabriel.
But the Hoops went undefeated across their next five games and had a play-off spot assured before they lost 4-2 away to Aston Villa in their final match.
There's no doubt the fixtures were pretty kind for Celtic, with two of their three wins coming against whipping boys Slovan Bratislava and Young Boys. But they drew with a strong Atalanta side in Italy and also beat RB Leipzig at home with one of their most accomplished displays for decades.
That has shown they can compete with the big guns but Bayern Munich are a daunting opponent, with Vincent Kompany's side fourth favourites in the betting to lift the trophy.
Bayern would have been looking to qualify automatically for the last 16 but they paid the price for a slow start with defeats at Aston Villa and Barcelona in two of their first three games.
Kompany's side are really starting to motor now and have won eight of their last nine in all competitions, albeit they did lose 3-0 at Feyenoord in their last Euro outing.
How the bookies view it: Hoops don't have a prayer
Bayern Munich should be too strong for Celtic across two legs and BoyleSports make them 1/20 hot favourites to go through, with the Hoops 17/2 outsiders. For a win at Parkhead, Kompany's side are just 4/11 while the SPFL champions are 13/2 shots and the draw pays 15/4.
Head to head: Bayern unbeaten
Despite having storied histories in Europe, these sides have faced off just four times before. The Germans have yet to taste defeat, with three wins and a draw in Champions League clashes. They last came to Parkhead in 2017 and won 2-1 thanks to goals from Kingsley Coman and Javi Martinez.
Players to watch: Musiala the magician
With red-hot Harry Kane just 8/13 for anytime scorer it's best looking elsewhere in the Bayern team for some value. Jamal Musiala ran riot against Scotland at the Euros and the playmaker appeals at 6/4 with BoyleSports for anytime scorer. There's more value in an assist, which pays 3/1 at Bet365.
Celtic winger Nicolas Kuhn will have a point to prove as he faces the club he played for as a kid. The German winger scored twice in the win over RB Leipzig and is 4/1 at BoyleSports for another big Euro goal. He also looks decent value at 5/4 with Bet365 just to have an effort on target.
Probable line-ups
Celtic have livewire Daizen Maeda available after an appeal against his two-match ban was successful but midfielder Paulo Bernardo is a doubt after getting injured at the weekend.
Kompany is missing Hiroki Ito and Joao Palhinha while Serge Gnabry and Alphonso Davies are doubts.
Celtic: Schmeichel, Johnston, Trusty, Carter-Vickers, Taylor, McGregor, Engels, Hatate, Kuhn, Maeda, Idah.
Bayern Munich: Neuer, Stanisic, Guerreiro, Upamecano, Kim, Kimmich, Goretzka, Musiala, Olise, Sane, Kane.
Anything else catch the eye?
Celtic often struggle when top teams press them high so I'd imagine Bayern will be all over them like a rash. That could see them get a few chances so I fancy a Bayern win with over 3.5 match goals at 6/4 in a BoyleSports bet builder.
Hoops stopper Auston Trusty likes to get tight on strikers and that could lead to him giving away a few fouls. The American looks great value at 3/1 with Bet365 to commit over 1.5 fouls and he's 4/1 at BoyleSports to go in the book.
This UEFA Champions League match between Celtic and Bayern Munich will be played on Feb 12, 2025 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Celtic vs Bayern Munich prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
