Celtic’s path in Europe has been drawn, and it could hardly be bigger. Brendan Rodgers’ side will meet Bayern Munich in the Champions League knockout play-off, with the first leg staged under the lights at Celtic Park on Wednesday, February 12, 8pm.
Paradise will be rocking, as it always does on nights like these. Celtic know that to have any chance of progression, they must strike first in Glasgow before heading to Bavaria.
The return leg is pencilled in for Tuesday, February 18, also with an 8pm start, at the imposing Allianz Arena.
Whether the Hoops faithful will be permitted to travel remains uncertain. UEFA is still weighing up the possibility of an away fan ban following the use of pyrotechnics during January’s clash with Aston Villa.
The green-and-white army may be forced to roar their team on from home when the second leg rolls around.
What is certain, however, is that Celtic Park will be at its thunderous best when Harry Kane and his Bayern teammates arrive.
The Bundesliga giants, with six Champions League titles to their name, are clear favourites, but Celtic have never been strangers to upsetting the odds.
Rodgers’ men have already shown fight against Europe’s finest this season.
Now they must summon something greater, leaning on the power of the crowd, the weight of history, and their own refusal to be cowed.
The stage is set, the dates are locked in, and the countdown has begun. Celtic against Bayern—two legs, two worlds, one dream.