Arne Engels' 'dangerous' schoolmate who Celtic must beware of as Belgian set for Champions League reunion with old pal

Arne Engels shared a boarding school with RB Leipzig superstar Lois Openda. Now he can’t wait to spend time with his Belgium buddy in the Champions League playground.

Engels and Openda were educated at the same spot during their time in the Club Brugge youth academy. Both have now graduated to Europe’s elite competition as well as being team-mates with their senior international squad. Three years younger, Engels has followed Openda’s road out of their homeland and on to huge stages in foreign climes. The pair will cross paths again in Tuesday night's showpiece and Engels, 21, said: “Yes, of course, you speak with everybody in the national team and you know him from there.

“In Bruges also, we studied in the same boarding school, so it was really nice to see him back in the national team and now play against him. It’s really amazing to see how far he’s going and how far he will be going. So, he’s an amazing player.

“He’s a striker, so every striker is a danger. But he’s a really good player, so of course we need to watch out for him. But every player in RB Leipzig is really good, otherwise they don’t play there, so it’s not only him.”

Engels smiled as he recalled his school days and added: “He’s already older than me, so we didn’t really speak to each other, but he was just there. But, especially in Bruges, he also played for older age groups. It’s normal when you’re 13 that you don’t speak to guys that are three, four years older than you!

“So I was just seeing him there. But it’s always nice to recognise a familiar face. I know some players there (at RB) of course, some Belgian guys. And also (Antonio) Nusa, played with him at Club Brugge. It’s always nice to see some former team-mates or team-mates from the national