'Abnormal force' to hit Bayern like a train as Celtic myth dispelled before Champions League clash – 'They are GIANTS'
Celtic are giants just like Bayern Munich – and playing in a "smaller league" shouldn't fool the Bundesliga heavyweights.
That's the view of former Celt Andreas Hinkel who has warned his countrymen they're about to face an "abnormal force" when they travel to Scotland for the Champions League. Brendan Rodgers' team welcome one of European football's superpowers to Parkhead for the first leg of the playoff round before travelling to Munich next week. It's a clash of two titans and the German media have been hyping it up.
Hinkel spent three years at Parkhead from 2008 and made over 100 appearances for the Hoops where Gordon Strachan was in charge until he left to join Freiburg, only to quit the game a year later following knee problems. He was axed as Belgium assistant manager last month after boss Domenico Tedesco was sacked and also assisted the Italian boss at Spartak Moscow and RB Leipzig. And he's made it clear to Bayern's players what to expect when they turn up on Wednesday.
He said: "The force of the crowd there is not normal. You have to cope with it and that's not easy. There are situations which can arise in which you can't hear anything anymore, everything threatens to fall apart, and you still have to make the right decisions and stay calm.
"You can be as experienced as you want - the volume, the atmosphere that sometimes comes out of nowhere, can overwhelm you. A throw-in, a free kick, a corner, a counter-attack can be enough - and things start to get very hectic. At Celtic, there is a Bavarian winning mentality there. Nothing counts except winning. Basically, they are the FC Bayern of Scotland. They may play in a smaller league. But they are giants."
It comes as Bayern have been dealt a major injury blow – with Portuguese international midfielder Joao Palhinha set to miss the Champions League showdown. Both Celtic and Bayern warmed up for the first leg this week with comfortable wins with Celtic easing past Raith Rovers in the Scottish Cup and Bayern proving to be too strong for Werder Bremen. But Bayern are unlikely to be able to call upon £47.5million star Palhinha, who missed their Friday night game with flu.
Bayern sports director Max Eberl said: "No, I don't think Joao Palhinha will be on the plane to Scotland."
The 29-year-old former Fulham ace has made 15 appearances for the club since his move from Craven Cottage in the summer. However, Bayern boss Vincent Kompany believes he has got plenty of cover He said: "We are starting to get a lot of our players back from injury now.
"We have a lot of players back ready. We'll have Serge Gnabry, Hiroki Ito and maybe even Alphonso Davies back this week.
"So we have the squad for it."
