It has been seven years, three months and 10 days (or 2,661 days to be exact) since Celtic last welcomed Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich to Celtic Park, though tonight’s last 16 playoff clash may be the side’s most important clash of them all.
The fourth time the sides have faced each other, Bayern have won three of those games, meaning Celtic will have to do something they have never done before when they host Harry Kane and co. in tonight’s mammoth clash. The first knockout game between the two teams, Celtic have only ever sparred with the German outfit in Champions League group stages previously.
The sides last faced each other on Halloween night 2017, where a tight game was decided late on via a 77th minute goal from Javi Martinez. French forward Kingsley Coman’s 22nd minute strike had opened the scoring for the visitors, but when Callum McGregor cancelled it out in the 74th minute, Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic side looked on course for a draw - only to be hit by a sucker punch just three minutes later.
But what happened to that team that lost 2-1 to Bayern Munich on Tuesday 31 October 2017? Here’s where all 13 Celtic players who featured that night are now, including a 51-goal hero, three retirements and a returning icon.
9. CM: Stuart Armstrong
The 51-cap Scotland international helped Celtic win four league titles, and consecutive domestic trebles, before moving Southampton in June 2018. He spent six seasons with the Saints, helping them gain promotion via the EFL Championship playoffs in the final season at St. Mary's. He joined Vancouver Whitecaps in November 2024, but played just 10 games before returning to the UK to sign for Sheffield Wednesday in January. Still involved with the Scotland squad. | SNS Group
10. LW: Scott Sinclair
Still one of Brendan Rodgers' most successful purchases during his first spell at Celtic, the English winger was a player of the year winner in his debut season, scoring 62 goals in 167 games and winning three consecutive trebles at Celtic Park. Now 35, he returned to the club where he began his career, Bristol Rovers, in 2022 and features regularly for The Gas. He also spent three seasons with Preston North End following his departure from Glasgow in 2020. | SNS Group
11. CF: Moussa Dembele
Another of Brendan Rodgers' most important signings, the French striker bagged a total of 51 goals for Celtic during his time at the club. Signed for approximately £500,000, he was sold for a huge profit at £19.7million to Lyon in 2018. Signed for Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Ettifaq in 2023, playing under former Rangers manager Steven Gerrard until his recent departure, where he has scored 19 goals in 44 games. | SNS Group
12. Sub: Leigh Griffiths
Came off the bench for the final 11 minutes of the 2017 clash with Bayern Munich, but saw his Celtic career come to a crashing halt shortly afterwards. Failed spells at Dundee and Falkirk resulted in him departing Scotland altogether to sign for Australian third division side Mandurah City in 2022. Griffith was promoted to the role of player-coach for the 2024 season with the club, where he still remains, alongside former Falkirk and Inverness player John Baird. | SNS Group