Despite both teams sitting on three points in the Champions League Group B, it is Bayern Munich who are the overwhelming favourites for their encounter with Celtic on Wednesday evening. The German champions are looking to recover from a heavy defeat against PSG last time around, with Brendan Rodgers’ side out to cause an upset at the Allianz Arena.
Champions League – Allianz Arena, Munich – Wednesday 18th October – 19:45 UK Time
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Draw Best Odd of: 12 at Unibet |
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Bayern Munich
CelticMatch Preview: Bayern Munich vs Celtic
Returning manager Jupp Heyches takes charge of his first Champions League match after taking over from Carlo Ancelotti, with both Bayern and Celtic having so far defeated Anderlecht and suffered defeats to PSG. This match-up is likely to attract a whole host of betting customers, with a large number of appealing markets to look into. However, let’s first take a closer look at the two teams, starting with the German champions.
Bayern Munich Team News & Form
Despite being without experienced players Manuel Neuer and Franck Ribery, Bayern are still set to name a starting eleven full of world class talent, including the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Thiago and Arjen Robben. Bayern saw off Freiburg by five goals to nil in the Bundesliga at the weekend, with the victory having left them just two points off the top of the standings. Former boss Ancelotti’s plan to rest many of his key players against PSG backfired last time around, making Wednesday’s clash with Celtic a must win. Bayern are a team capable of scoring from all angles, with Heyches keen to make an instant impact upon his return to the biggest stage in football.
Celtic Team News & Form
Celtic produced one of their finest European displays in beating Anderlecht 3-0 last time around, with their attacking duo of Scott Sinclair and Lee Griffiths having continued their flying start to the season. Celtic skipper Scott Brown has been ruled out of the encounter in Munich through injury, with Rodgers’ men coming into the clash off the back of a narrow 1-0 Scottish Premier League win over Dundee. Promising striker Moussa Dembele is back from injury and in line to start at the Allianz Arena, with Celtic now a team capable of scoring against any opponent. Meanwhile, young defenders Kieran Tierney and Anthony Rolston will be hoping to gain more experience on the biggest stage.
Head to Head
The two teams have met twice competitively in the past, with Bayern collecting four points from such encounters. They recorded a 2-1 victory over the Scottish side back in 2003, before holding out for a point at Celtic Park in the reverse fixture in the same year. With such fixtures having taken place over a decade ago, there is little to consider when it comes to the duo’s head-to-head record.
Betting Odds and Predictions
Given their fantastic home record, it comes as little surprise that Bayern Munich are the favourites for victory with the majority of bookmakers, with Ladbrokes offering the German side odds of 1/9, it is worth looking further afield when it comes to wagering on this match. The visitors can be backed at odds of 22/1 with the same bookmakers, while betting on the home side scoring more than 3.5 goals is available at odds of 1/1 at William Hill.
Top Betting Tip
However, our top betting tip for the match is to bet on Bayern Munich winning the match, as well as over 3.5 goals being scored, a market that is available at odds of 4/6 at Ladbrokes.