The Celtic players knew that they were facing the toughest of UEFA Champions League knockout play-off draws, given that the two options for opponent were Bayern Munich or Real Madrid. And it’s the German giants who Brendan Rodgers’ side will face for a place in the last 16 of the competition, with the first leg scheduled for Celtic Park (date tbc) For Alistair Johnston and his team-mates, they’re relishing the prospect of coming up against one of the top sides in European football, and the Canadian internationalist is pleased that the first leg will be at Celtic Park. Speaking at Lennoxtown today following the UCL draw, Johnston said: “It will be an amazing experience and a great opportunity for us to go and show Europe what we’re all about and it’ll be really fun having the first leg at Celtic Park. “I know it’ll be loud and it’s a fixture that everyone will have circled and be excited for, so we’ll focus on that when it gets a little bit closer but it’s an amazing fixture. “It’s a difficult draw but it’s one that we’re all really looking forward to. “Having the first leg at home can be something to build on. It’s going to be really important that our crowd is behind us from the get-go and I can imagine it’s going to be a loud one. ‘Anything’s possible so we just need to come out firing right from the start and hopefully give ourselves a chance going into the second leg and put some pressure on them.’ “But they’re a top team and one that’s been utterly dominant domestically in Germany for the past decade or so. “Obviously, Leverkusen took the title last season but Bayern are top of the league now and they’re such a strong outfit so it won’t be an easy task but, again, it’s one that we’re all excited for.”Celtic have already faced German opposition in this season’s UEFA Champions League, playing Borussia Dortmund away and then RB Leipzig at home in the league phase. While the game in Dortmund was a disappointment as the Hoops lost 7-1, they produced a superb display at Celtic Park to beat Leipzig 3-1, with German winger Nicolas Kuhn scoring twice on the night for Celtic. “The Leipzig does give us something to look at and understand that they are one of the top teams in Germany and they had to come to Celtic Park, and look how difficult we made it,” Johnston said. ‘So that’s something we need to lean on and build on, but at the same time, we’ve got a great admiration for this Bayern Munich team.’ “This is a team that came into this competition with expectations to be hopefully lifting it at the end of the season, but we’re in the way and we’ve got to cherish this opportunity and look at it as a great chance, especially having the home leg first. “I know that it’s an advantage in the long run having the home leg second but for us, I think it was really important to have it first, to give us a real chance here to go out and impose ourselves and show that we can compete. “And, again, when you have Celtic Park rocking, it can be intimidating to whoever the team is.” More on the match Training Gallery: Motherwell v Celtic – click here Celtic FC Quiz: Motherwell v Celtic – take the quiz Match Centre Follow all the build-up and action from Fir Park on the club website’s Match Centre Upcoming FixturesMotherwell Vs. Celtic – Wed, Feb 2nd 2025, 19:45
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