Nicolas Kuhn believes Celtic have what it takes to stun Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena and keep their Champions League hopes alive.
The Hoops winger acknowledges the daunting challenge of overturning a 2-1 deficit from Wednesday’s first-leg play-off against his former club, a side that has gone unbeaten in 20 consecutive home games in the Champions League since their 2021 quarter-final loss to PSG. Kuhn, who rose through Bayern’s academy and played alongside Jamal Musiala for their B team, knows Bayern’s confidence will be high but insists they’ll also be wary of Celtic’s attacking threat.
Brendan Rodgers’ men showed resilience in the first leg, and the blistering pace of Kuhn and Daizen Maeda caused Bayern problems, with substitutes Jota and Yang adding further firepower. Kuhn has urged Celtic fans to remain hopeful, backing the team to rise to the occasion.
The German winger said: “Bayern are always confident, but they won’t see this tie as over. They’ll give everything at the Allianz Arena – but so will we. Of course, it would have been better to win the first leg, but the tie is still open. We can go there with belief and fight for a better result.
“We saw we had chances on the counter-attack, but we also showed we can control possession when needed. There are areas we need to improve, but opportunities will come. We’ve been in good form and scored plenty of goals in the league phase, so we’ll aim to do the same in Germany. Bayern are a team with immense quality, capable of creating many chances, but I thought we defended well overall.
“The goal we conceded before half-time was frustrating – we can’t allow one of the best strikers in the world that kind of chance. Still, a 2-1 scoreline gives us belief. We’re ready to give everything because one goal is all it takes to level the tie.”
Kuhn experienced the highs and lows of football within seconds in Wednesday’s match, thinking he had opened the scoring for Celtic after just 25 seconds. His celebrations were cut short when Adam Idah was deemed to be in an active offside position. However, Kuhn is taking heart from that early moment and the strong finish Celtic produced in the final 20 minutes at Parkhead.
“It was almost unbelievable,” Kuhn said. “I hoped it wasn’t offside. It was unlucky because I didn’t think Adam touched the ball, but they ruled he was in the line of sight. For a moment, it was amazing – the noise in the stadium was incredible, just like it was for the entire game.
“In the last half-hour, we were much better and created some good chances. That gives us confidence going into the second leg.”
The winger also reflected on Celtic’s earlier Champions League struggles, including a heavy defeat to Borussia Dortmund in the group stage, but he believes the team has grown since then.
Kuhn said: “Yes, absolutely. That game against Dortmund was a tough lesson, but we’ve come a long way since then. We have a young squad, and for many of the players, it’s their first time in the Champions League.
“There’s been a lot to be proud of this campaign, including moments from the other night. We know we need to tighten up defensively, but we’ll be ready for next week. This tie is far from over.”
