A huge match between the mid-table teams will highlight Group B on October 31st as Bayern Munich will head out on the road to take on Celtic. Bayern is second place in the group, three points behind Paris Saint-Germain, but only three points behind Celtic, which is always a tough place for anyone to visit (except PSG).
What To Know About Bayern Munich
The two met in Germany in the previous matchday and Bayern ran out as 3-0 winners thanks to goals from Thomas Muller, Joshua Kimmich and Mats Hummels. It has been a tumultuous time at Bayern as they fired Carlo Ancelotti and hired Jupp Heynckes, who is in charge of Bayern for the fourth time. They looked very good against Celtic as they were on the front foot from the opening whistle and they even had a couple goals ruled out for offside. Bayern also has three big games leading into the Champions League as they’re second in the Bundesliga, where they’ll visit Hamburg. They’ll also have a league game and a German Cup meeting with Red Bull Leipzig, who pushed them in the Bundesliga last season and are hot on their heels in the league right now.
What To Know About Celtic
Celtic battled hard in Germany, but they were simply outclassed by a team that is supposed to be better than them. However, a 3-0 win at Anderlecht means that Celtic is in the driver’s seat to at least get to the Europa League, which is a just reward for finishing third in a group with Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich. Celtic just can’t seem to manage to score in the Champions League unless it is against Anderlecht, and in their lone home game so far in the Champions League, they were swept aside by PSG by a score of 5-0. Celtic Park is a notoriously tough place to play because their fanbase is one of the wildest in Europe, but as for the talent on the pitch, Celtic are just overmatched against the likes of the top two in this group. Going into this game, Celtic will visit Hibernian in the Scottis Cup, along with a trip to Aberdeen and hosting Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premiership.
Outlook
Bayern are the away favorites at -350 with Celtic coming in at +900, and a draw is listed at +475.These two have met three times with Bayern winning twice and drawing once; Celtic can take to heart that draw came at home in the group stage of the 2003-04 Champions League. For whatever reason (and that reason seems to be a player mutiny against Ancelotti), Bayern looks like a much more dangerous team now and that is bad news for Celtic, who will try to absorb as much pressure and attempt to strike on the counterattack. However, with finishers like Muller, Robert Lewandowski and Arjen Robben, Bayern will eventually pull away and while it won’t be as lopsided a game as the one in Germany, Bayern should win this with not many problems.
Champions League Betting Pick: Bayern
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