Bayern Munich and Paris St Germain will bring some autumn glamour to Glasgow in the Champions League group stage. Bayern are second favourites for the trophy, PSG, fifth. The challenge to reach the knock out stage could scarcely be greater.
Anderlecht, by comparison, offer substantially less-ominous opposition, but a quick glance at their European form will dissuade anyone from underestimating the Belgian champions.
The group bears a remarkable resemblance to Celtic’s 2003 Champions League group, the last time we faced Bayern and Anderlecht, with another French side, Lyon, ending up as group winners. All four teams finished within three points, with Bayern and Lyon both winning the final games by a single goal – dropped points would have seen them eliminated. Celtic qualified for the Uefa Cup, courtesy of a superior head-to-head record against Anderlecht.
Anderlecht started last season slowly (as they have this season), failing to reach the Champions League group stage, but that only spurred them on for a memorable Europa League campaign. In Europe’s second-tier tournament, they won away in Azerbaijan before recording draws in France (St Etienne) and Germany (Mainz, whom they beat 6-1 in Brussels). Fortunate form for trips to those two territories this term.
They knocked-out Zenit and APOEL Nicosia in the first two Europa League rounds before being eliminated 3-2 on aggregate in the quarter-final by Manchester United. Those are very decent European results, but it you want some comfort, Ajax went all the way to the final 14 weeks ago, and they were beaten home and away by Rosenborg this month. It’s not about what you did yesterday that counts.
At Celtic Park, we have a punchers’ chance against Bayern and PSG, but our measure of progress this season will be determined by results against Anderlecht. The night we beat them 3-1 in 2003 counts as one of our great Champions League performances, the stadium rose to a man and blew the Belgian champions away. Watch the highlights if you are in any doubt about this.
The 2003 1-0 defeat by 10 men in Brussels still rankles as an underachievement. Losing to an 86th minute goal in Munich, after being ahead with 17 minutes to go, and losing to an 86th minute penalty in Lyon, leaves me feeling we have some scores to settle.
Let’s take them this time, Brendan. You know you can…
NEW CQN PODCAST – PAUL DYKES PRESENTS WITH FORMER CELTIC CAPTAIN ANDY LYNCH AND SPECIAL GUEST PAT STANTON
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greenpinata
great post and well put.
some great points for and against package price
just sometimes when the PLC have a good chance to give back to the fans they fall short.. I’m sure there excuse for kids prices is the low cost of kids season book.. which is good price in my opinion.
PSG up 1-0 thanks to Cavani penalty.
Big guys at the back – might not like wee guys running at them with pace. But they love throwing themselves to the ground at the slightest opportunity, something to guard against.
Quality players all over the park, with Verratti. Alves and Draxler not starting. If they sign Mbappe from Monaco they will be a very tough test for Brendan’s Boys in first game, but they will give the odd chance away.
Weefra
Hope you are having a great birthday young man. Large drams I hope. :)
My first European match was Boavista 1974, I was 8. Loved the Portuguese chess board strip. Think Celtic wore yellow and green strip???
Cavani should see a doctor about his balance problem….
Celtic defenders will have to be very careful against him…. hopefully he will be caught diving early and booked
“When asked when they were first made aware of the looming RFC admin RM responded,” the day before they filed for administration”. (February 2012). Both Neil Doncaster and Rod McKenzie denied specifically knowing any earlier than this beyond rumours in Scottish Football.”
———
I guess that fabled meeting with Craig Whyte never actually happened then. Or, if it did, maybe they were discussing global warming?
I can’t really be bothered with Kev Jungles posts these days (sorry Kev) – I feel he is ‘going through the motions’ in writing them as much as we are in reading them.
However, to pick up on one of Kev’s ever so repetitive themes, when you consider that many will pay £49 to watch us hump Sevco, then maybe £38 to watch a better class of opponent looks reasonable?
FOR A PEOPLE AND A CAUSE on 25TH AUGUST 2017 7:51 PM
Apologies for any offence. It was not intentional.
PSG will be hard to score against, going by that game so far.
here’s one for all the elvis fans ….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1d4r9awjKE
2-0
£38 is the market rate. When was the market rate the benchmark for CelticFC?
TO be honest, I feel that a few years ago we wee totally shafted with the EL package price.
That is not my point, we had a chance to make a statement on ticket prices but chose not to. That is the dictat of market economics
I will not buy into the package as I cannot be sure of attending at least 2 of 3 games. Someone else will have my ticket, I understand that.
I see that our freind from down south was picking a fight earlier and has fled the site. Nothing changes.
Motta puts PSG 2-0 up from close range after poor defending from a free kick outside the box.
Surprised at the number of people upset at the ticket prices.
There might have been an opportunity to look after the concessions and the kids better but £38 to watch Celtic in the CL is good value. Add to that the bonus of watching two of the best teams in the world with a chance of winning and I think it represents excellent value.
I think the CL ticket prices are not where we should be looking- it’s the cost of spfl match tickets that I would be more concerned with. As a non ST holder going about three or four times a season with teenagers and maybe a few family in toe I spend a lot more than the price of a SB most years to see Celtic and give my kids and their cousins that pleasure too.
When things are tight and I could afford to bring one or go myself i have to refrain from going because it’s not fair on others.
I would rarely get to see Celtic for less than £100 because I’m the breadwinner etc. That doesn’t include travel etc just tickets. It’s as well I didn’t drink too often.
Probably just that phase of life I’m in. Paying for everyone else all the time, but despite being reasonably well paid (comparatively) it’s not that easy at times.
Fergusslayedtheblues
The media in scotland are huns virtually to a man so from the get go we are up against ingrained bias, they also do nothing to help themselfs, and the huns know that intimidation works, it’s been proven to work, the polis won’t go after them, they spend their time hassling the wee bhoys from the GB for waving banners and wearing provoctive T shirts.
As for the sfa-spl, what do you expect, honesty, transparency, it won’t be happening in our lifetimes mi amigo sad to say.
Our biggest problem was when we were gorging on Jelly and Ice cream plans should have been made for the outcome that has occured, it’s too late, they have gotten away with dumping well over £125m of debt and will still be our only real challengers in the years to come, things go in cycles, it’s just the way of the world, we had the chance and blew it.
HH
TMWT
Like WC posted today, I wish every Celtic supporter saved the £49 the huns will charge for the doomdome match, and put it to their CL fund. Prefer to pay £38 to watch proper teams than £49 for a tribute act.
MARCO VERRATTI.
Used to watch Serie C /Serie B games on Italian cooncil tele simply for the sheer pleasure of watching Marco Verratti.Great player !
“I’d pay to watch Verratti…”
Andrea Pirlo.
And by the way, it does irk me a wee bit that it is difficult for the likes of me who I would argue spends as much as any SB holder on Celtic (tickets and merchandise, Celtic TV ETC) to get tickets for bigger games.
It’s just a gripe not the start of a debate and I’m not looking for sympathy! I’ll get none anyway
Tim Malone @ 8.50
Do what many do, just scroll past. Having not read one in many a month, I know exactly what has been said in any and every post! Don’t you? Has there been surprise?
TET – can you outline the business model that brings Sevco in to their ‘cycle’?
They are done.
The previous club died and the new one is a busted flush.
Saddened and surprised to read of the unexplained 15% increase on CL tickets
and yet another Celtic supporter put down .
Being priced out of tickets isn’t the question for most, but Celtic principles matter every day and this PLC tend to take the proverbial, too often.
There’s your package there’s your dinner no reward for the supporters that put us in this position.
So many missed opportunities by Celtic, to be Celtic.
Kolncelt..alles gute zum Geburtstag..
Weefra ..have a braw day loon! As always regards to the boss..
Smiley Munich thing…hoopy days…
Braw.
anyone any idea of best areas to look at for digs in munich ? hoping to get booked asap
thanks
RT
I totally sympathise, during the MO’N years I had 3 season tickets for me and my two sons.
The cost of the day out with travel, food, drinks etc would double the spend on season tickets. Now they are adults I spend more on Celtic alone.
BOURNESOUPRECIPE
Kind of where my sadness lies.
RT
The team that call themselvs rangers should be dead and buried, but they are playing out of ibrox, they still have the football powers breaking all the rules to help them, they still have the referees onside, and that is massive.
They were a busted flush years ago, years ago yet they are still there, money from your part of the world helping to keep them alive as well.
They don’t need a business model as they have shown, they will bide their time.
I just know that they should be dead and gone and they are not, so please forgive me for thinking that they will die any time soon.
HH
JNP…
Sorry for delay in replying,my wee lassie’s took my tablet off me. ;)
Just quick jump in to read back.
I’ve decided to stand outside a telly shop and watch the CL games like that.It’s all the poor deserve.A bank like no other. ;)
Anywho,tablet back to the boss.
HH mate.
DD – I suppose it eases off (hopefully)
Im grateful I can afford to do what I do.
Others don’t have that fortune. So I’ll not Labour the point
Proudbhoy
Sipsini and I are booked in Leto Motel München City Nord for 4 nights Mon-Fri. £50 a night for a single room. Munich is selling out and getting extortionate for rooms.
Bayern fans fae everywhere need beds as well as the thousands of Tims going to Munich.
Goooood Evening CQN:-)
Being pedantic here, Gutenberg, can I ask who are the 2 teams you refer to as being 2 of the best in the world ?
Celtic and which other ? I’ll help it is not the middle eastern bankrolled French team, who have just signed a diving cheat, who does nothing for me to enhance the game of football.
They did not even win their league, but as being bankrolled they re 6th favourites for the Champions league ?
One point from me on pricing
How can Celtic now justify charging fans £49 for an FtSPFL game, against a team which is 5 years old, suppose this season it will only be visiting fans paying that this year as we again give them 7800 tickets and disadvantage their own fans to accommodate
TET- fair enough. I wish ibrox was an asda but I cannot see them challenging us in a meaningful way again.
Weefra, don’t know if you’re looking in but hope you have a magic, hoopy birthday if you are!
Bit of a Barney developing between Barca/Nizza and PSG re the collapse of the sale of NIzza’s Seri to Barca for €40 million .Barca have claimed that PSG sabotaged the deal by offering Nizza 50 million €..
Watched Seri in both of NIzza’s CL games v Napoli .He didn’t do much!
RT
I have been lucky enough to be in a position to follow Celtic home and away all my life. My family and I made sacrifices for me to do so.
DD
aye thinking it would be dear.. trying to sort airbnb just not sure where to start looking
was in berlin recently ..pretty spread out city so thinking munich could be same.
want to be where the bhoys are partying as only there for 2nights
Yip- very Hoooopy Birthday Weefra
Pop along early to the coarner to get all your bumps in :-))
JMcCormick, I watched the Astana game in the Hotel Football at Trafford Park ( I seen you post that you were also in Manchester), anyway, very good and food I thought very decent
Proudbhoy, go onto booking.com and type in your requirements. Munich will not be overbooked at this time. Staying in or around the city centre is best but it doesn’t matter where you stay as the public transport system is brilliant. For anyone going get Partner tickets (up to 5 people per ticket) but make sure you pick the correct number of zones. This includes travel to and from the airport. You will get to the Allianz Arena via public transport. I know Munich like the back of my hand and will be willing to advise closer to the date. Ps, your travel to and from the stadium will be included in your match ticket, which is the norm in Germany.
I’m not a season ticket holder but am looking for 2 Champions League packages.
A CQN’er who is a good pal is working on trying to get me fixed up but feels it will be difficult.
If any CQN’er with a season book is not taking up their entitlement & are willing to buy tickets for me I would be extremely grateful.
Flights already booked for PSG game but holding off on flights for the later games in case I come up short.
Yours in Hope
Corkcelt