Andreas Hinkel: Bayern Munich aren't unbeatable - Celtic can capitalise on their defensive disarray

He will, though, be an interested onlooker when his former club play Bayern Munich in a Champions League game in the Allianz Arena tomorrow evening and is even hopeful of witnessing an upset.

The one-time right back, who spent three seasons as a player at Parkhead between 2006 and 2008, appreciates it will not be easy for Brendan Rodgers’s side to even record a draw.

Read more: Andreas Hinkel warns German giants Bayern Munich can be double trouble - unless Celtic take defensive approach

Bayern can, despite not enjoying, by their own high standards, the best of seasons, field the likes of Jerome Boateng, Mats Hummels, Thiago, Arjen Robben, Kingsley Coman, Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller.

Their opponents have also been given a lift by the return of their revered former manager Jupp Heynckes following the sacking of Carlo Ancelotti earlier this month.

Hinkel, who won the UEFA Cup and Super Cup during his time with Sevilla in Spain, believes they are capable of prevailing in the Champions League for a sixth time despite their 3-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in their last Group B match.

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However, he feels Celtic can still capitalise on the defensive disarray which contributed to the downfall of Ancelotti and get a result - provided they take a cautious approach the outing.

“I don’t watch many Celtic games because I am involved in matches myself with Stuttgart,” he said. “But I still keep in touch with several people who work at Celtic through Facebook and get most of my information about what is happening at the club through them.

“I am looking forward to watching their game against Bayern. I am interested in seeing how Celtic play now. Scott Brown and Jamesey Forrest are the only two players who I know from my time at the club. It is a totally different team.

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“Bayern Munich have had problems since they lost Pep Guardiola to Manchester City last year in my opinion. Carlo Ancelotti took over, but he played in a different style. It wasn’t as attractive to watch, they didn’t dominate to the same degree and I don’t know if the players were fit enough either.

“Yes, he won the Bundesliga, but that’s not enough for Bayern Munich. They want to do well in the Champions League and in the German Cup as well. They want to win, but they want to win in style, playing good football. That wasn’t the case under Ancelotti. Fans didn’t understand what his philosophy was.

“They have brought back Jupp Heynckes who did a great job before. They won the treble in his last season there in 2012/13. I think they want to show they can play football again after Ancelotti. They have still got a lot of quality. They have a really good team. It will be difficult for Celtic.

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“Heynckes has only been in charge for one game, against Freiburg on Saturday, since returning. So it will also be hard for Celtic to know how to approach the match because the new manager has just taken over. How will they approach the game? It will be difficult to say.”

Hinkel, who played in defence for Germany 21 times in his career, believes Bayern are fallible at the back and is confident Celtic, who will field either Moussa Dembele or Leigh Griffiths up front, can score goals on the counter attack and at set pieces.

“They conceded too many goals under Ancelotti,” he said. “When Heynckes was there before they didn’t do that. He spoke to the media here last week and he made an interesting point. He said that in the last three games they had conceded seven goals. He stated that when Bayern had won the treble they had only let in seven goals in the first half of the season.

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“Heynckes wants to stabilise the team. He feels that in order to compete at the highest level his side needs to be solid defensively. He isn’t interested in his team winning 5-3 or 4-2. That is his way of playing.

“But Bayern are not unbeatable. They may have a good feeling at the moment with a new manager coming in, but it isn’t stable. They have only won one game. They haven’t managed to go on a run of results.

“Manuel Neuer is a big miss for them. He has outstanding qualities and is a very important player for the team. Sven Ulreich isn’t the same . Not having Neuer is a big part of the reason they were conceding so many goals.

Read more: Andreas Hinkel warns German giants Bayern Munich can be double trouble - unless Celtic take defensive approach

“Jerome Boateng had a long term injury, Mats Hummels wasn’t always involved either and Neuer had also been out. Their weakness has been at the back. Celtic can maybe do something at set pieces or on the counter attack. But first, of course, they have to get the ball and Bayern are good in possession. They must get bodies behind the ball. ”

Hinkel predicted the return of Heynckes as manager and the return to fitness of Neuer, who is sidelined with a broken foot, in the new year will enable Bayern to challenge the likes of Barcelona, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid for the Champions League.

“I think Bayern can still win the tournament,” he said. “ I watched their game in Paris. PSG obviously have an unbelievable offensive line, but Bayern had good possession in the game. They shouldn’t have conceded the first two goals. If Manuel Neuer had been playing he would have saved them.

“Jerome Boateng, Mats Hummels and Manuel Neuer were all missing. If they can get those players back next year then it will be a different team.”