Celtic will be disappointed to have lost against Bayern Munich in the first leg at Parkhead. It does feel like they needed a result in that game. But despite that, the 2-1 scoreline still gives them a bit of hope heading into the second leg at the Allianz Arena next week. The Hoops showed enough to be positive about their chances even though they are the heavy underdogs once again, as was always going to be the case anyway.
Celtic will need everything to work in their favour for them to make it past Bayern Munich in their own backyard. Unfortunately, it looks like things are not headed in that direction.
Paulo Bernardo picked up an injury against Raith Rovers last weekend. And he has been ruled out of the second leg against Bayern Munich.
Brendan Rodgers has confirmed that the Portuguese midfielder is out for several weeks. That is not good news for Celtic. Bernardo might not be a regular starter for them but he is someone who has been in and around the first-team picture for the entire season.
Celtic blow confirmed before Bayern Munich second leg
As reported by the Daily Record, Rodgers said about Bernardo's fitness status:
"Paulo has got his ankle in a boot. So, yeah, so he'll be maybe four or five weeks. Paolo's obviously done great for us this season and what we've tried to do with all the players is try and show we keep them fit by rotating and maximising the whole squad.
"Obviously, sadly, he's out for another little while. But like you say, we've still got good numbers in that position. With so many games, it's needed."
It remains to be seen how things play out for Celtic in the second leg. But not having a player like Bernardo available is certainly a blow to Rodgers' plans, that is for sure.
Celtic do have options in that area of the pitch though. One would imagine that they will start with the trio of Callum McGregor, Reo Hatate and Arne Engels once again if everybody is fit and available. Then they have Luke McCowan as an option and Jeffrey Schlupp has the ability to play in midfield as well. So, let's see how Rodgers uses the options available to him.