CALLUM McGREGOR is remaining defiant and positive as he prepares for one of the most daunting challenges of his career against Bayern Munich tomorrow night.
The Celtic captain and his team-mates take on the mighty Bundesliga pacesetters at the Allianz Arena already trailing 2-1 from the first leg in the east end of Glasgow last week.
The Champions League hopes of Brendan Rodgers’ side are hanging by the slenderest of threads, but the 31-year-old onfield team leader dismisses defeatist talk as he prepares for a rigorous test of character and nerve in Bavaria.
The tie had assumed an end to the European adventure for another season when Harry Kane added to Michael Olise’s first-half strike early in the second period and the hosts looked as though they were on the ropes.
WE’RE BEHIND YOU…Celtic fans support Callum McGregor in Saturday’s 3-0 win over Dundee United.
However, Daizen Maeda’s 79th-minute header, his 22nd goal of the campaign, has thrown some colour onto an otherwise picture and the Hoops refuse to be written off before a ball is kicked in the return encounter.
McGregor, who claimed his eighth goal of the term with the opener in the 3-0 win over Dundee United at the weekend, accepted he and his colleagues will have to hit the ground running and admitted: “Yeah, I think so.
“We have to max out in terms of performance level – and there’s no reason why we can’t.
“Having seen what we’ve seen in the first game, yes, we need a bit of luck and we need to be really good on the night, but we just go and we leave nothing on the pitch and see where we go from there.
“Obviously, it would be brilliant and that’s the aim now. I want us to come off with no regrets and see where we can get to.”
McGregor, speaking to the Daily Record, continued: “We’re still right in the game. When you get to these games, everybody’s got to believe that you can win.
HAPPY DAZE…Luke McCowan congratulates Callum McGregor after the skipper’s opening goal against the Tannadice club.
“And even the way the game played out, there were very small margins and, on another night, with a different referee, who knows?
“The number one aspect was that the performance was there, we’re still in the game.
“I think if one of the big teams loses 2-1, then everybody still thinks they’re in the tie, so I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t feel that way. And especially the last 25 minutes, that gives us a good template for the game.
“They knew they were in a game and you see their reaction when the whistle goes, they were happy to get over the line at 2-1.
“That’s a big compliment when top players are celebrating winning the game when the final whistle goes, you see how much it means to them.”
The inspirational midfielder added: “Results are what makes people sit up and say: ‘Right, we’ll watch the game and see why’.
“The performance level has got to be there, but results have also got to be there and I think that’s what we’ve done.
“There have been a few results throughout the time that maybe people watching the Champions League scores coming in have looked and thought: ‘Right, okay, what’s going on here? Celtic have got a result, let’s have a look at the game’.
“And when teams like Bayern turn up, then they give you that respect because you’ve beat Leipzig, you’ve drawn against Atalanta, really top teams.
“That’s on us to keep improving and keep trying to narrow that gap as much as we can.”
