Kieran Tierney hopes that he, and Celtic, can show their progress against Bayern Munich

The fact that the 20-year-old remains unaffected by his rise is testament to his character, and if anything, adds credence to the predictions of superstardom that await the gifted defender.

For Tierney himself, the question of his progress as a player and of Celtic’s progress as a whole lies however in the European arena.

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In his view, the way that both he and his teammates handle the challenge posed by Bayern Munich at Celtic Park tonight will be the real barometer of how far they have come, both individually and collectively, under Brendan Rodgers.

He admits that the first meeting between the sides a fortnight ago was a slightly sobering one, but he is hopeful that the chasing they received – as he puts it – will stand Celtic in good stead for the challenge that awaits them this evening.

“It was a hard one over there, a tough experience,” said Tierney. “It’s one we’ll learn from though.

“When you are testing yourself up against the best wingers and the best full-backs in the world it’s obviously challenging, and nobody likes a negative result, but you need to look at the positives and you need to try and learn as much as you can from it.”

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One of the main things that Tierney took from the experience was the importance of holding onto the ball and looking after possession more carefully against the top sides.

The high-energy pressing adopted by the likes of Sebastien Rudy in midfield, and even Tierney’s direct opponent Arjen Robben, a man perhaps not renowned for mucking in on that side of the game, of course made that more difficult than Celtic find it on a weekly basis at home.

But looking after the ball better under pressure is an important next step for Celtic in Tierney’s view if they are to cause any problems for Bayern tonight.

“I feel we are progressing as a team in Europe,” he said. “You just have to look at the Anderlecht game as well, to win 3-0 away from home was great and I think we deserve credit for that, because they are a great team as well.

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“Bayern Munich though are one of the top teams in the world, so there’s no shame in getting beat off Bayern Munich.

“Everybody’s got their opinion, and we would have liked to have gone over there and done a bit better, there’s no doubt about that.

“You need to realise though that you are up against a top team and you will be up against it. You will have your backs to the wall at times defending, but when we were on the ball we would have liked to have kept it better.

“We’ll certainly be looking to do that in the return fixture.”

Celtic manager Rodgers shuffled his pack for Saturday’s disappointing home draw with Kilmarnock, a result that kept the champions’ long unbeaten domestic run intact, but would have given little away to any watching German scouts.

With the hectic schedule Celtic have endured over the last two weeks, fatigue has been pinpointed as a possible concern, but Tierney says you only have to look at the Betfred Cup semi-final win over Hibernian, just days after the defeat to Bayern in Germany, to be convinced of the fitness of this Celtic side.

“With the period we have had at Celtic, lots of people will be saying we will be getting tired, and you do get a bit tired, there’s no doubt about that,” he admitted.

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“But look at the Hibs game, where we had to dig really deep. When you’ve just been chasing one of the best teams in the world about for 90 minutes and then have an early kick-off on the Saturday it’s hard, but the boys were tremendous.

“I think everyone deserves real credit for preparing for that game the way we did and performing the way we did.

“The fitness levels have been great, and that just comes down to your pre-season and how much work you have put in. We put it in for weeks and weeks and all the games we had at the start like the qualifiers really help at times like this.

“In the last 10 minutes of the Hibs game we showed that we had more in us to get up the park and create chances. We had more than one chance to score, and that shows you the fitness levels of the boys.

“That won’t be an issue against Bayern.”

And of course, one thing Celtic will have on their side tonight is the vociferous backing of the newly-crowned ‘best fans in the world.’

Bayern Munich defender Mats Hummels may have stressed this week that the German superstars would be unaffected by the cauldron that awaits them at Celtic Park, but it is perhaps the effect on the home players that will be the most important factor.

“The atmosphere the Celtic fans create is great for us,” said Tierney. “It gives us an extra boost and it’s like an extra man, and we’ll certainly be looking forward to it.”