Celtic Boss Makes Bold Claim About Second Leg vs Bayern Munich
Celtic are nearing the second leg of their knockout play-off round tie against Bayern Munich, and as they enter the match down 2-1 in aggregate after losing at Parkhead, they have work to do to manage the score and find a way to try and get past the German giants.
Despite this, Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has optimism regarding the match, and understands the scale of how enormous a win in this round would be.
Rodgers was asked if he believes a win in this round would be one of the best results in club history, and how he feels going in with a fighting chance.
According to The Celtic Way, Rodgers said: "Absolutely, and that was the key for us in the first leg. When you play two-legged games, it's important that you commit to your second game. You have the opportunity, and you have the chance to do that.
"So we have to be smart, and we'll have to be smart again tomorrow in the game. But we have players who can score goals. I think for us, we defended well, we didn't give so much away.
"We were disappointed with the goals we conceded, just on the timings and especially the second goal. So we know we can defend at this level. It's just having that courage and that bravery to go and play our game.
"That will be key for us tomorrow. It's a beautiful pitch; the arenas are amazing to come and play in. As I said, it's the second leg, so we want to make sure we leave everything out there on the field.
"As I mentioned, anything is possible in the game. Anything can happen and hopefully we can go and produce a performance that gives us the result in the end."
MORE: Latest Harry Kane Update Amid Fears He Might Miss Celtic Game
There is a lot to break down here, but the first thing is that it is clear Rodgers is not overwhelmed by the moment, and rather is focusing heavily on what went right and wrong in the first leg. Doing this will allow him to develop a good gameplan for the second leg, and as he states, ensure the team plays smart in this match to try and produce a result.
His level of confidence in the squad is also positive, as even after the previous loss, they remain well within contention to come out on top of this tie. However, they have to do so at the Allianz Arena, which is notoriously difficult to play an away match at.
He is ultimately right, anything can happen, and given Celtic had momentum near the end of the last match, bringing one goal back and nearly scoring a second multiple times, they have what it takes.
It will be a matter of coming into the match strong, putting the ball in the goal, and protecting their own as they did for much of the first half at Parkhead.
Jeremy Trottier started his writing journey with WBLZ Media, and has worked through multiple publications with 247Sports, USA Today, Fansided, SBNation and others. He is an avid fan of motorsports and most sports in general, and has completed a degree in sports management to further understand the sports industry. During his time with sports media, he has been credentialed for coverage of Boston College sports, and can often be found attending their football and basketball games as well as expected coverage of their men’s soccer team in the near future. Sports are a large part of his life and career, as he looks to pursue a full time role within the industry someday.