Callum McGregor has urged his Celtic team-mates to secure a vital win over Bayern Munich on Wednesday night if they are to have any hopes of advancing to the last 16 of the Champions League.
The Celtic captain is adamant that the first leg of their play-off round tie, being played at home, could actually work in their favor. McGregor feels that his team has the potential to pull off a memorable victory, drawing confidence from their previous success earlier in the campaign when they triumphed over Bundesliga side RB Leipzig. However, he also recognizes that securing a win is the only way forward, as he believes that without an advantage heading into the second leg at the Allianz Arena, Celtic’s chances of progressing are slim.
“If we have any ambition of progressing, we must win. It’s as simple as that,” McGregor stated. “It’s going to be a tough match over there, so we need to take something with us into the away leg. We absolutely have to win.”
McGregor acknowledges the scale of the task ahead but insists that for Celtic to have a chance of getting the better of Bayern Munich, they must be aggressive and true to their own style of play. “The only way we’re going to beat them is by being bold and playing our game. We won’t suddenly shift to a more defensive formation like a 5-4-1 or start launching long balls. That’s not who we are. We have to stick to our principles and play to our strengths. If we do that, I truly believe we have the team and the qualities to cause problems for anyone,” McGregor explained.
He added that belief is crucial in these high-stakes encounters, stressing that the players must inspire the crowd with their performance and set the tone early. “If we don’t believe in ourselves, then no one else in the stadium will,” McGregor said. “Our performance has to generate belief in the stands. If we can start well and play the way we want to, the fans will sense that something special is possible. The more we play to our strengths, the more the stadium will get behind us, and that’s when the magic can happen.”
Celtic’s stunning 3-1 victory over RB Leipzig earlier in the campaign serves as a shining example of what McGregor believes his team is capable of. That night, Celtic overcame a first-half deficit to claim an impressive victory with two goals from Nicolas Kuhn and Reo Hatate. McGregor has no doubts that his team will need to produce a similarly high-level performance to trouble Bayern Munich, who are currently on an impressive run of seven consecutive Bundesliga wins and are comfortably eight points clear at the top of the league.
“It’s going to take a top performance to get anything from this game,” McGregor admitted. “Bayern Munich will come at us with the same intensity, pressing high and aggressive, similar to how Leipzig played us. We need to be aware of that and be ready to counter it. In the Leipzig game, we were fantastic at moving the ball quickly and making sure everyone was connected as a unit. We were in sync, and by the end of the game, Leipzig had almost run out of steam because we always had an answer for them. That’s the standard we need to replicate against Bayern.”
McGregor emphasized that Celtic will need to be sharp with the ball, particularly when under pressure from Bayern’s aggressive press. By doing so, they may be able to alleviate some of that pressure and take control of the game. “When Leipzig pressed us, we always had the solution. We bypassed their press, played through the lines, and created chances. That’s the kind of play we need to replicate against Bayern Munich. We need to stay calm and take the pressure off ourselves by playing our way out of trouble.”
Reflecting on the earlier encounter with Borussia Dortmund, where Celtic suffered a heavy 7-1 defeat, McGregor believes that his team has come a long way since that humbling loss. “The Dortmund game was tough, but we’ve definitely learned from that experience,” McGregor reflected. “It was a difficult night, and things didn’t go our way. Some of their goals, like Karim Adeyemi’s stunning finishes, were just exceptional. But that was an anomaly, and we’ve improved significantly since then.”
With the lessons learned from past challenges and the belief that they can cause a major upset, McGregor and his Celtic side are determined to make their mark in this crucial Champions League tie against Bayern Munich. The captain’s message to his teammates is clear: play with confidence, stick to their style, and seize the opportunity to create a memorable night at Parkhead. Only then, McGregor believes, can they dream of progressing to the next stage of Europe’s elite competition.
