Celtic must cross financial chasm vs Bayern as €732m disparity shows clear scale of Champions League challenge

Celtic rule the financial roost in Scotland - but Bayern Munich show there’s levels to that game in the Champions League.

Brendan Rodgers’ side competed well against the German giants last week in the first leg of their knockout round play-off tie. A 2-1 defeat was had at Parkhead to leave them with a monumental comeback mission but Daizen Maeda’s reducing of deficit leaves the tie very much alive.

The Hoops boast a financial upper hand clubs in the Premiership can only dream of but they have a cash chasm to cross in Europe. As per Transfermarkt, Bayern’s squad value is €856.00m compared to Celtic’s €123.65m. That’s just the approximate €732m difference which shows the clear differences in each squad.

While the average Bayern player comes in at €32.92m a pop, Celtic’s stands at €4.95m. Only Stade Brest of France have a lower market value squad wise in the Champions League than Celtic with Bayern pushing some of the heavy hitters who clear a billion, like Arsenal, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Man City.

Rodgers hopeful

He knows they are the underdogs but boss Brendan Rodgers is in a confident mood ahead of this game. Rodgers said: “Clearly we won’t be the favourites for the tie but everything is possible. The goal that we scored brings a different view of the game. Coming in at 2-1 rather than 2-0 is a big difference.

“When you play two-legged games, it’s important that you come in to the second game with the opportunity and the chance. We had to be smart last week and we’ll have to be smart tomorrow in the game, but we have players who can score goals.

“We know we can defend at this level and it’s just about having that courage and bravery to go and play our game. It’s a beautiful pitch, the arena is great to play in and we want to leave everything out there on the field. We know that we’ll have to play really well to come through.

“Anything is possible in the game. Anything can happen and hopefully we can produce a performance that gets us the result in the end. You come to this level, and you have to play without any fear. There are worse things in life that can happen than losing a game of football.

“We want to ensure that when we come in after the game, we’ve given it absolutely everything. I look at this game and I’m so glad that I’ve got this group of players who have a great mentality and incredible professionalism. And if they can go and show that, then we know we’re in with a chance.”

Kasper up for fight

Goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel has already been involved in one of football’s greatest shocks, the Leicester City Premier League win of 2016. So he knows what it takes to pull off a major surprise. He added: “It would be a massive achievement [to qualify). If you’re able to put Bayern Munich out of the Champions League, it would certainly be up there.

“We’re under no illusions, it’s going to be difficult. But I’ve been a part of teams who have done things against the odds, so why not. You have to leave everything out there. Pretty much everything has to go right.

‘We’re up against one of the best teams in the world, but it’s 11 versus 11, so we go out there with hope.’ We’re in the tie. We’re not here to make up the numbers. We’re here to win and go through. That’s definitely going to be a difficult task, but nothing worth achieving is ever easy.”