Dillan George
Dailysports's expert
Celtic
Bayern Munich
Bonus up to $130/€100
On Wednesday, February 12, Celtic will host Bayern Munich in the first leg of the Champions League playoff round. The match kicks off at 21:00 Central European Time. I am making a betting prediction based on the number of goals in this match.
Interesting Facts and Head-to-Head History
- Celtic has won 10 consecutive home matches across all competitions.
- Bayern has lost 3 of 4 away matches in this season’s Champions League.
- Bayern has scored at least 3 goals in their last 3 matches.
- This will be the fifth meeting between these teams. Bayern has won 3 times, with one draw.
- In 21 matches against Scottish teams in history, Bayern has suffered only 3 defeats.
Match Preview
Celtic, as expected, is once again dominating the Scottish Premiership. Brendan Rodgers’ side leads the league after 25 rounds with 66 points, sitting 13 points ahead of Rangers. There is little doubt that Celtic will claim their 55th Scottish league title.
Over the weekend, Celtic thrashed Raith Rovers 5-0 in the Scottish Cup. Before that, they routed Dundee (6-0) and defeated Motherwell (3-1), showcasing their impressive attacking form.
In the Champions League, Celtic performed relatively well. They finished 21st with 12 points, suffering just two losses in the league phase—a 1-7 defeat to Borussia Dortmund and a 2-4 loss to Aston Villa.
Bayern, like Celtic, is the dominant force in their domestic league. The Munich club tops the Bundesliga standings, holding a 7-point lead over Bayer Leverkusen. Interestingly, Bayern faces a crucial away clash against Leverkusen next weekend, which could determine the title race.
Last Friday, Bayern comfortably defeated Werder Bremen 3-0, scoring all their goals in the second half. Before that, they edged Holstein Kiel (4-3), Freiburg (2-1), and Wolfsburg (3-2), extending their winning streak to 7 matches in the Bundesliga.
However, Bayern struggled with consistency in the Champions League. Vincent Kompany’s team suffered three defeats in the league phase:
- 0-3 vs. Feyenoord
- 1-4 vs. Barcelona (away)
- 0-1 vs. Aston Villa (away)
All their losses came away from home, but they won all their other matches, finishing 12th with 15 points.
Predicted Lineups
- Celtic: Schmeichel; Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Trusty, Taylor; Engels, McGregor, Hatate; Kuhn, Idah, Yang
- Bayern: Neuer; Laimer, Upamecano, Kim, Guerreiro; Kimmich, Pavlović; Coman, Musiala, Olise; Kane
Prediction for Celtic vs Bayern
Celtic has been excellent in attack this season, but defense remains a vulnerability. Given both teams’ offensive potential and Bayern’s struggles in away fixtures, I expect a high-scoring match and bet on over 3 goals in total.
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