Celtic are set to take on Bayern Munich in the Champions League knockout phase. These will most definitely be their two most difficult games of the campaign. That is saying something considering the Hoops have already lost 7-1 against Borussia Dortmund away at Signal Iduna Park and 3-0 against the Rangers at Ibrox this season.
Celtic must bring their A-game and then some if they are to get a result against Bayern Munich. That being said, they still have another test to overcome before.
They will play Raith Rovers this weekend in the Scottish Cup. While the opposition is not the strongest, these games can often get tricky and Celtic will be keen to avoid an upset, especially before welcoming Bayern Munich to Parkhead just a few days later.
Brendan Rodgers has his full focus on the game against Raith Rovers for now. As reported by 67 Hail Hail, in a post-match interview with a BBC reporter, the Celtic boss was asked about the upcoming Champions League match against Bayern Munich and he replied:
"Our focus now is to recover and recover well, and then we go to Raith. We want to get into the next round of the Scottish Cup, and then we’ll come out of that, and then like you say, a special night here against Bayern Munich."
Celtic boss gives blunt reply to Bayern Munich question
That is the view that you expect a top manager to have. No game cannot, and should not, be overlooked, no matter how simple the task looks on paper.
Celtic cannot afford to take their eye off the Raith Rovers. An upset this weekend and not only will they fail to defend the Scottish Cup but it will also dent their confidence ahead of Bayern Munich's visit to Parkhead.
Thankfully, it does look like Celtic are rediscovering their touch in front of goal once again, something they had lost for a bit. They scored six goals against Dundee FC in the previous game and hopefully, they will be in a similar mood against Raith Rovers at the weekend.