ZeeboiBrendan Rodgers has urged his Celtic players to play without fear as they aim to pull off one of the greatest upsets in Champions League history against Bayern Munich.
Facing a 2-1 deficit from the first leg in Glasgow, Rodgers is fully aware that Celtic will be significant underdogs when they step onto the pitch at the Allianz Arena tomorrow night.
Celtic have never secured a competitive victory on German soil, while Bayern Munich boast an intimidating home record in Bavaria.
As six-time Champions League winners, Bayern haven’t suffered a home defeat in this competition in nearly four years. However, Rodgers is adamant that Celtic will leave everything on the pitch in their quest to defy the odds and eliminate Vincent Kompany’s Bundesliga giants from Europe.
Aiming to secure what would be one of the most monumental results in Celtic’s history, Rodgers said: “Clearly, we won’t be favourites for the tie, but everything is possible.
“I think the goal we scored last week brings a different view of the game totally. Coming in at 2-1 rather than 2-0, there’s quite a big difference.
“We will need to be smart. But we have players that can score goals. We defended well last week. We didn’t give so much away and we’ll need to do that again.
“It’s just about having that courage and that bravery to go and play our game. That will be key for us. It’s a beautiful pitch. The arena is amazing to come and play in.
“You come to this level and you have to play without any fear. We want to ensure that when we come in after the game, if we don’t go through, we’ve given it absolutely everything.
“I look at this game and I’m so glad I have this group of players that have a great mentality and an incredible professionalism. And they can go and show that.
“There’s no second chance after this. We’ve got the one opportunity. We’ve got to be clever. We’ve got to be bright. We’ve got to be brave in the game. And we can do that.
“History has shown that anything can happen in sport. We want to make sure we leave everything out there on the field.
“It’s something that we want to embrace, that challenge. This is a team that has world-class players. But for us, our collective, we’ve shown already in this tournament that when we play at the very top of our game, we can punish teams.”
When asked if the pressure and expectation are entirely on Bayern, especially with the final being held in Munich in May, Rodgers added: “Yes, I don’t think there’s any doubt. Everyone will look at this game and us being the underdog. And that’s totally understandable.
“But we’re still very mindful to be super-competitive in the game. And, as I said, we know that if we can play to our level, then it can make the game really difficult for Bayern.”
One of the key decisions facing Rodgers is whether to start Daizen Maeda centrally ahead of Adam Idah.
Maeda’s impact in the first leg was notable when he shifted from the left wing to a central role in the final 20 minutes, helping to shift the momentum in Celtic’s favor.
When asked if this might influence his team selection, Rodgers said: “Certainly, it’s something that we looked at and talked about as coaches.
“But whatever we go with, whether it’s Adam or Daizen, we still have the ability to affect the game.”
Zeeboi
