Scottish champions Celtic host Bayern Munich in the first leg of the Champions League play-offs on Wednesday, and we’ve got the latest team news and confirmed lineups included in our preview ahead of the action.
Celtic vs Bayern Munich Preview
Following on from a strong showing in the league phase, Brendan Rodgers and his Celtic side make their return to the Champions League knockout stage with a home clash against Bayern Munich in the first leg of their play-off tie.
The Bhoys finished the league phase in 21st place after three wins, three draws and two defeats, most notably beating RB Leipzig 3-1 on MD4, which ensured their advancement to the knockouts for the first time since 2013.
Their final league phase match ended in a 4-2 defeat away at Aston Villa towards the end of January, and they have since won three successive matches across all competitions, as they sit 13 points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership.
Last time out, they cruised to a 5-0 win over Scottish Championship side Raith Rovers in the Scottish Cup.
âš #UCL đ#CelticBayernMunich | #CelticFCđ pic.twitter.com/uPi92J4sRq
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) February 11, 2025
As for Bayern, they finished three points ahead of Celtic in the Champions League table, with their 3-1 win over Slovan Bratislava on MD8 confirming a 12th place finish, just one point shy of the top eight.
Vincent Kompany’s side have won each of their last four matches across all competitions, most recently defeating Holstein Kiel and Werder Bremen, and they are currently eight points clear at the top of the Bundesliga.
Wednesday’s clash will be the first time that Bayern and Celtic have met in Europe’s premier competition since 2017, when the Bavarians triumphed 3-0 and 2-1 in their two group stage meetings on their way to the semi-finals.
Celtic Team News
Reports suggest that the Bhoys will be without Paulo Bernardo and James Forrest for the first leg, while Kasper Schmeichel has returned to training after struggling with a back injury.
Daizen Maeda, who scored a hat-trick at the weekend, was due to miss out on the clash through suspension, however after a successful appeal, the Japanese forward is now eligible to feature against the German giants.
In-form Irish striker Adam Idah will likely return to the starting lineup, as he looks to extend his three-game goalscoring streak.
Bayern Munich Team News
Joao Palhinha and Serge Gnabry are marked as doubts for the trip to Glasgow after missing the Friday’s win over Werder Bremen through illness, while Alphonso Davies remains sidelined with a hamstring issue.
England captain Harry Kane will almost certainly lead the line for the visitors, likely supported in attack by Jamal Musiala, Michael Olise and either Kingsley Coman or weekend goalscorer Leroy Sane.
Celtic vs Bayern Munich Confirmed Lineups
Celtic Lineup:
Schmeichel; Johnston, Trusty, Carter-Vickers, Taylor; Engels, McGregor, Hatate; Maeda, Idah, Kuhn
Bayern Munich Lineup:
Neuer; Laimer, Upamecano, Dier, Guerreiro; Kimmich, Goretzka; Olise, Musiala, Sane; Kane
Celtic vs Bayern Munich Prediction
Unsurprisingly, the UK’s best football betting sites have identified Bayern as heavy 19/50 favourites for the first leg, while a shock win for Celtic is priced at around 6/1 and a draw is valued at 9/2.
The Bavarians prevailed both times when they faced off against the Bhoys in 2017, and despite Rodgers’ men impressing throughout the league phase this term, we at SportsCasting expect a similar outcome this time around.
We’re backing Kane and co. to cause plenty of problems for the hosts and are predicting that they’ll carry a 3-1 advantage into next week’s second leg at the Allianz Arena.
Prediction: Celtic 1-3 Bayern Munich
