Category: UEFA Competitions

Michael Olise and Harry Kane gave Bayern Munich the edge going into the second leg against Celtic, who pulled one back through Daizen Maeda

Justin Kavanagh emails: “Great photo of Rod! He’s certainly got the gladrags on tonight, but does that bandage on his right fist suggest he’s already had some handbags? If so, it probably won’t be the last we’ll see at Celtic Park tonight in what should be a quite tasty match. Don’t spare the Rod, Bhoys.”

The main plan for Celtic here is to keep it tight early on against one of the most exciting front fours in Europe. You do not get many Musiala-type players in the Scottish Premiership.

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Before the German club face Celtic in a Champions League playoff we recount a rich history that goes back decades

Given Bayern Munich’s lengthy and storied history in European competition, it may come as no surprise that they have jousted with Scottish clubs over several decades. But the variation and drama attached to many of those fixtures gives cause for contemplation as the German team return to Glasgow for a Champions League playoff against Celtic.

Bayern are heavy favourites to progress, largely because of the economic tilt towards clubs of their standing in the modern era. It was not always thus, however, as a glance at the record books outlines.

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• City conceded twice in final six minutes of 3-2 loss
• ‘Everyone has to take accountability – I take it’

Pep Guardiola admitted that Manchester City cannot be competitive if they continue to concede late goals as they did when surrendering an 86th-minute lead in Tuesday’s 3-2 home defeat against Real Madrid in the Champions League playoff first leg.

City held the advantage at the Etihad Stadium through Erling ­Haaland’s 80th-minute penalty, with the striker’s 19th-minute opener having been cancelled out by Kylian Mbappé on the hour. Yet Guardiola’s side collapsed as the final whistle approached.

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Erling Haaland impressed despite defeat and Jude Bellingham showed up when his team needed it most

Ederson Brilliant low second-half save from Kylian Mbappé before Erling Haaland strike. Sharp saves early on but poor clearance makes the No 1 culpable for Brahim Díaz’s equaliser. 6

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• Dortmund win 3-0 in Portugal; Mbangula lifts Juve
• Dembélé takes Brest apart to show PSG are contenders

Serhou Guirassy scored one and set up another in Borussia Dortmund’s 3-0 victory at Sporting in their Champions League playoff first leg to put last year’s finalists in the driving seat for a spot in the last 16.

The top scorer in this season’s Champions League headed in his 10th goal of the competition on the hour mark before providing Pascal Gross with a perfect assist to double the lead in the 68th minute.

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Jude Bellingham’s injury-time winner shattered an ailing Manchester City, who led twice through Erling Haaland

2012-13 (group stage)

Madrid 3-2 City

City 1-1 Madrid

City 0-0 Madrid

Madrid 1-0 City (agg: 1-0)

Madrid 1-2 City

City 2-1 Madrid (agg: 4-2)

Madrid 1-1 City

City 4-0 Madrid (agg: 5-1)

Madrid 3-3 City

City 1-1 Madrid (agg: 4-4; pens: 3-4)

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• Scottish side welcome ‘football royalty’ on Wednesday
• Hosts boosted by Daizen Maeda return after ban appeal

Brendan Rodgers wants Bayern Munich to experience “hurt” at Celtic Park after taking pride in his team’s European improvement this season.

Bayern’s visit to Glasgow marks the first time since 2013 that Celtic will play knockout Champions League football, with Rodgers contemplating his most significant scalp yet. Celtic are the heavy underdogs to see off the German giants over two legs but Rodgers has challenged his players to keep the tie competitive before they head to the Allianz Arena next week. Slovan Bratislava, RB Leipzig and Young Boys have already been defeated at Celtic Park this season, with the hosts unbeaten in their last half-dozen home European games.

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An injury crisis means Carlo Ancelotti must get creative in the Champions League playoff against Manchester City

Dani Carvajal, Antonio Rüdiger, David Alaba, Éder Militão and Marcelo were in the team photo before the Madrid derby at the Bernabéu on Saturday night. A seriously impressive defence, it was just a pity they weren’t playing. Instead, Marcelo was there so they could pay homage to the full-back, who won 25 trophies with the club, in the week he announced his retirement. The other four had come to join him and support their teammates. None were dressed in white; all are injured.

All of which would be bad enough, but it was about to get worse. The following afternoon, having been named in the squad to travel to Manchester, the captain pulled out too. In the past fortnight Lucas Vázquez had missed visits to Valladolid and Leganés as a precaution but eventually he too fell, calling from home after Sunday’s training session to say something wasn’t right in his thigh. He was the backup, a midfielder at full-back, albeit one who has played there for so long now that it has become his default role. There have been 36 injuries at Madrid this season, 26 of them muscular.

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• Two teams meet again in Champions League playoffs
• City have faced Madrid five times in past six years

On the eve of Real Madrid’s Champions League playoff first leg at Manchester City, Carlo Ancelotti billed the clash between the sides as a “clásico”.

Madrid’s trip to the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night and the return at the Santiago Bernabéu on Wednesday next week will be the fifth time in six years the sides have played each other in the knockout phase. While the Spanish and English champions have each previously progressed twice, Ancelotti was clear about how he rates encounters between them.

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Shootouts are the least bad way the game has found to settle drawn matches, but they should be a last resort

So Uefa is considering doing away with extra time, at least in the knockout stage of the Champions League, another grand old tradition swept away as the arc of history bends towards the generation of revenue for the already wealthy. This is the way of the world and so it is the way of football, all that is great and glorious about the game desecrated to produce more content to be sold.

But first, a caveat, an increasingly necessary one as middle age hurtles by. Is this about age? Are our responses to extra time conditioned by our formative years? My first FA Cup final was 1982, a drab game enlivened by Glenn Hoddle putting Tottenham ahead after 110 minutes and Terry Fenwick heading an equaliser five minutes later (Spurs then won the replay). The Schumacher-Battiston World Cup semi-final in Seville came six weeks later: at 90 minutes it was 1-1, by the 98th minute it was 3-1 to France and by the end it was 3-3 and West Germany had won on penalties. The following year’s FA Cup final also went to extra time as Manchester United drew with Brighton; although there were no goals in the added 30 minutes, there was the drama of Gordon Smith’s late miss.

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• Competition’s last two winners to battle for last-16 place
• PSG face all-French tie against surprise packages Brest

Manchester City must overcome Real Madrid if they are to keep their Champions League hopes alive after the pair were drawn together for a blockbuster playoff tie.

In a fiendish consequence of City’s scratchy league phase, which saw them narrowly avoid early elimination by finishing 22nd, they will face the La Liga leaders and reigning European champions next month. Celtic have been dealt an equally tough assignment in the form of Bayern Munich. The play-off winners will all enter the round of 16 but there is no further safety net for those defeated.

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• Akanji: ‘No team wants to face us’ in Champions League
• City will play Real Madrid or Bayern Munich in playoffs

Manuel Akanji is convinced Manchester City can rediscover their best levels to go far in the Champions League and has warned Real Madrid and Bayern Munich they can “beat every team in Europe”.

City advanced to the playoff round with Wednesday’s 3-1 home win over Club Brugge and will face Real or Bayern, with the first leg set for the Etihad Stadium the week after next. The away tie is the week after.

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