Bayern Munich will play their first match in the 2017/2018 Champions League on Wednesday, October 18 under new management. With veteran Jupp Heynckes in charge, he has a direct fight for second place in Group B with Celtic. The game, which is part of the schedule for the third round, the last of the first round, of the key phase will be held at the Allianz Arena in Munich, starting at 4.45 pm (GMT).
The leaders of the group are Paris Saint-Germain, who added six points in the first two rounds. The Germans and Scots are coming next with three points. The flashlight is in the hands of Anderlecht Belgians, who have not yet scored.
The recent performance of Bayern Munich
Without major options on the market, Bayern went to take Heynckes out of his retirement to replace the Italian Carlo Ancelotti, fired ten months before the end of his contract. The loss to PSG, 3-0 in Paris, and the under-expected performance in the German Championships were the downfall for the coach, who had not been able to have a good relationship with his men.
Adept of a style of game that pretends to be more intense, the new commander made his debut with a convincing result. Also in Munich, Bayern thrashed Freiburg 5-0 on Saturday, October 14, for the eighth round of the German Championship. The Bavarians thus climbed to 17 points (five wins, two draws and one defeat) in the standings.
They are still in second place, now in isolation. Heynckes also proved to be hot-legged. Borussia Dortmund, who were leading the way, were beaten 3-2 at home by Leipzig, allowing Bayern, who are now just two points shy of the Bundesliga.
The new coach still has to deal with a number of injury problems. The goalkeeper Manuel Neur is handed over to the medical department (three matches in the 2017/2018 season of the German Championship); defender Juan Bernat and Javi Martinez (four games without a goal), Franck Ribery (six games without a goal) and Arturo Vidal (five games, one goal).
The current form of Celtic
Although they play a tournament of lower technical level, Celtic, the current national champion, shows to be in better phase and in the right way to raise another trophy of the Scottish Championship. At home, he beat Dundee 1-0. With that, he had 23 points (seven wins and two draws).
It is the same score of Aberdden, although Celtic takes advantage when the tiebreaker criteria are used. He has the best attack (21 goals) and the least leak defense (five goals) of the tournament. In addition, presents an undefeated series that reaches six matches (five wins and a draw). That list includes a 3-0 win against Anderlecht in Belgium for the second round of the European Champions League.
To face Bayern, coach Brendam Rodgers has their main players at their disposal. The only likely loss is from defender Erik Sviatchenko. The Danish, however, can not be considered a big embezzlement, since he is only an athlete of composition of the cast.
History of the bouts between Bayern Munich and Celtic
The teams also crossed paths in the 2003/2004 edition of the Champions League. In the group stage, Bayern won in Munich 2-1. In Scotland, there was a goalless draw.
PREDICTION: Bayern Munchen win @ 1.12
