As the two teams square off in the first leg of the Champions League last 16 playoffs at Celtic Park on Tuesday, Bayern Munich star Serge Gnabry thinks his team is ready for a “difficult” matchup with Celtic the following week.
When the teams play next week at Celtic Park, the 29-year-old German international will play the Scottish champions for the first time in his career. The former Arsenal player has stated that he and his teammates are looking forward to the challenge and want to make sure they put themselves in a strong position before the second leg at the Allianz Arena.
Speaking to Bayern Munich’s official website, Gnabry stated, “We’re excited, but these will be two challenging games.” “The Celtics are a strong squad. Our goal was to place among the top eight. We must acknowledge that we are in the playoffs and are looking forward to the games. The game will undoubtedly be extremely difficult. In this round, we were not drawn to play Manchester City, whom we have frequently faced in recent years. For me, it’s a new opponent, and as a player, you always enjoy trying new things.
Many of the players from the most recent match will be in the Bayern squad for next Tuesday’s match in Glasgow. This is the first time the two teams have played each other since a header from Javi Martinez sealed a 2-1 Champions League group stage victory and ended Celtic’s hopes of making it to the Champions League’s knockout stage in 2017.
After being warned about the intimidating atmosphere at Celtic Park by club and international teammate Joshua Kimmich, Gnabry is aware that it will play a significant role in the German giants’ hopes to end Celtic’s run in the competition once more. “I spoke with Jo [Kimmich], who played there a few years ago,” the Bayern forward said, “and he said it’s one of the best atmospheres he’s ever experienced. What you get from TV is that it’s a really vocal crowd.”
Echoing Gnabry’s sentiments, German great Thomas Muller said he is looking forward to the match after missing the previous meeting between the two teams. “The stadium will have an amazing atmosphere,” he remarked. We are enthusiastic about it. Come on. With back-to-back weeks in February, things move quickly, so let’s do our best!
