I'm in Munich for Bayern vs Celtic and I can sense some tension – there are genuine fears about what could transpire

It might be the industrial strength lager they serve in these parts, but there is something different about Bayern Munich right now, writes Michael Gannon in Munich.

This is usually a club that just oozes confidence. Some would say arrogance, but it’s only arrogance if you can’t really back it up. Bayern can back up their sky high levels of self-belief. Yet there is something a little off about them this time around. It might sound a bit crazy when we’re talking about an organisation that normally struts around with a world class swagger, but they seem a tad, well, nervous. It almost sounds daft to say it. But there is a hint of tension around Bayern Munich ahead of this Celtic clash.

It’s not that they are too worried about the Hoops, mind you. Bayern boss Vincent Kompany and his players have shown Celtic plenty of respect, way more than usually seen from the Germans. They still fully expect to get the job done tonight with the minimum of fuss. And the people around the club see anything other than progress to the last 16 as utterly unthinkable.

For all that though, there are little seeds of doubt being spread around. In the pre-match press conference Kompany and Jamal Musiala were asked about pressure. That’s normally a dirty word in these parts. Yet it is on them.

Bayern’s space-age super stadium the Allianz Arena will host the Champions League Final this May and it seems to have cast a shadow over the entire club. They can’t bear the thought of the big event happening on their patch and not being involved. There are genuine fears that could transpire though. Bayern are top of the Bundesliga – as usual – but there are grumbles around the place.

The performances have been criticised, Kompany’s tactics questioned and