Well, we now know the three sides that Celtic will be facing in the home-and-away group stages of the UEFA Champions League beginning next month and running through December.
Here is a look at each of their three opponents, including a look at previous matches that they might have played.
Bayern Munich
The German champions have won the Bundesliga five times in a row, and they have won the UCL five times. They are the top-seeded side in the group due to their status as German champions and also made the semi-finals of last season’s competition.
Bayern will be a very tough opponent to face for Brendan Rodger’s men due to their strength in depth and their ruthless nature. They also like to possess the ball, meaning Celtic will have a tough time on it.
In just two meetings prior, both of which came in 2003, Bayern grabbed four points. Celtic were close to a dramatic victory, but Bayern snatched it from them to win 2-1 at home before a 0-0 draw took place at Parkhead.
PSG
PSG came in second place in France’s Ligue 1 last season, and they made it to the quarterfinals of the UCL where they fell apart in dramatic fashion. They came out of pot 2 due to not having won their league, but are still capable of heavy damage.
That’s even more so the case now with Neymar joining their ranks to make them even stronger and better. They are going to be tough to play against, but they will be a different team than Bayern. They will run at you more than around, but they will still keep a lot of the ball, making wins hard to come by.
Celtic will face PSG for the first time here, but we do have a record to look at in Celtic’s record against French teams. The Hoops have five wins, two draws, and seven losses to them.
Anderlecht
Anderlecht are the fourth and final team in the group, coming out of pot 4. They are the champions of the Belgian League, and are known for producing good, young talent. Last season, they were tripped up in the third qualifying round of the UCL and fell into the Europa League. They got all the way to the quarterfinals, losing only to Manchester United in extra time.
This is going to be a tough task for Celtic as well, though, nowhere near as tight as PSG and Bayern. Anderlecht like to play the same style as Celtic, and it will be interesting to see those at odds. Both teams have similar philosophies with transfers, too, so it will be a great battle to see who- honestly speaking- will take third place from the group and move to the Europa League.
Interestingly enough, these teams also played in the 2003 group stages against each other. Celtic won the home match, while losing the away one. This time around, that fate could bring the whole thing to goal differential in the end!
