Fans will be able to welcome a new name to the Allianz Arena on Wednesday when FC Bayern take on Celtic. The two teams have only met competitively on two occasions and that was in the group phase of the 2003/04 Champions League. Bayern won 2-1 in the home game at the Olympic Stadium thanks to a brace from Roy Makaay, with the return match at Celtic Park ending goalless. fcbayern.com has rounded up some more interesting facts and stats ahead of the match.
New experience
Sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic played in both those previous meetings. Apart from him, Arturo Vidal is the only current member of the FCB set-up with experience of playing against the Bhoys having been part of the Juventus side that knocked Celtic out of the Champions League at the last 16 stage in 2013. It’s also Jupp Heynckes’ first encounter with the Scottish side.
Good record against Scottish teams
Bayern fans can look back fondly on their other meetings with teams from Scotland. FCB have won eight of their 17 games against sides from the north of the British Isles and only lost three. What’s more, a Scottish team has never won in Munich. The fondest memory is definitely the European Cup Winners’ Cup final on 31 May 1967, when Bayern celebrated their first European title with a 1-0 win in extra-time over Rangers.
A meeting of champions
These two sides are used to winning trophies. Wednesday will see Germany’s record league and cup champions come up against Scotland’s record cup winners and league runners-up. Bayern have been domestic champions for the last five years in a row; Celtic for the last six.
Fortress Allianz Arena
Looking at the statistics, it’s unlikely the Bhoys will have reason to celebrate at the Allianz Arena. FCB have not lost a Champions League group game in front of their own fans since December 2013 when they lost 3-2 to Manchester City. They’ve won each of their last 10, scoring 33 goals and conceding just two. Celtic’s 3-0 win at Anderlecht last month was only their second away win in Europe’s premier club competition.
History for Heynckes
Jupp Heynckes has an impressive record in the Champions League. As a coach he’s been involved in the competition three times and he’s reached the final every time. In 1998 he won it with Real Madrid, in 2012 he suffered defeat in Bayern’s ‘final at home’ but then a year later he brought the trophy back to Munich. Heynckes will definitely make history in at least one way this year because on Wednesday he’ll replace Raymond Goethals as the oldest coach in the history of the Champions League. The Belgian was 71 years and 231 days old when he won the title with Marseille in 1993.
Karasev officiating
As well as new opposition, Bayern also welcome a new refereeing team to the Allianz Arena on Wednesday led by Sergei Karasev. For the 38 year-old from Moscow, it’ll be the 18th Champions League match of his career but the first involving FCB. Celtic have met Karasev once before but that was when they were thrashed 6-1 by Barcelona in December 2013.
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