Bayern Munich beat Celtic 3-2 on aggregate on Tuesday, February 18, at the Allianz Arena to qualify for the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League.
The Bavarians were trailing by a goal until the dying minutes of the match, but Alphonso Davies equalized for them to take them to the next round.
Bayern will face either Bayer Leverkusen or Atletico Madrid in the Round of 16 next month.
The six-time champions last won the tournament in 2020. Since then, they have mostly been eliminated by very powerful oppositions repeatedly.
Vincent Kompany Will Want to Etch His Name in the History of Bayern Munich
Vincent Kompany, who had an exceptional career as a central defender for Manchester City primarily, became Bayern’s manager before the start of the current season and has done a decent job at that so far.
His team has taken what seems to be a decisive eight-point lead over Bayer Leverkusen at the top of the Bundesliga table.
Bayern seem to be well on course towards clinching their 34th league title.
However, winning the Bundesliga has hardly been a cause for euphoria for the Bavarians in recent times.
Rather, winning the Champions League seems to be their preferred yardstick for real success.
Bayern have reached the Champions League final thrice since 2012, winning two titles.
The final of the tournament will be played at Allianz Arena, Bayern’s home ground, this year.
The last time it was held in Munich was in 2012 and Bayern lost to Chelsea on penalties in it, causing heartbreak for their fans.
Kompany will not mind history repeating itself up to the extent that they reach the final at Allianz Arena once again this year, but will definitely want the end result to be different.
However, for that to happen, Bayern will have to cross a difficult path which might potentially have formidable opposition from among the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester City and Inter Milan.
Reaching the final will be anything but easy for the Bavarians.
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What it Means
Harry Kane, who has never won silverware in his otherwise exceptional career, remains Bayern’s most potent weapon with 29 goals in 31 matches this season so far.
Seven of those goals have come in nine UCL matches so far.
With players like Joshua Kimmich, Leroy Sane, Serge Gnabry, Thomas Muller and Dayot Upamecano by his side, Kane will hope to break the trophy drought that has spoilt his career to an extent.
Winning the Bundesliga will definitely break the curse, but Kane will want the European crown to add a bit of lustre to it.
Neither Bayer Leverkusen nor Atletico Madrid are going to be an easy opposition, but Bayern have a stronger team on paper than either of them.
Bayern will prefer to face Leverkusen, who are a known enemy to them.
Xabi Alonso’s side won the Bundesliga last season and are in second place in the league table this season.
However, they should find it really difficult to get past Bayern should they meet in the Round of 16 next month in the Champions League.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / Sven Simon
Recording Date: 18.02.2025