Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has revealed how he is looking forward to facing Kasper Schmeichel tomorrow night at Celtic Park.
Neuer, who joined Bayern in 2011, has done it all in his career, winning 11 Bundesliga titles and 2 Champions League trophies with the German giants.
For the German national team, he won the World Cup in 2014 and will go down as one of the greatest goalkeepers ever.
However, Neuer has never played at Celtic Park in his illustrious career but is excited to reunite with a familiar face in Celtic number one, Kasper Schmeichel.
With both goalkeepers being 38 years old, Neuer discussed how he is happy to see a goalkeeper of the same age starting in the knockout stages of the Champions League.
He said: (Bayern & Germany), “We often met and spoke together as goalkeepers.
“I’ve also met his father often during Champions League games. It’s a nice thing to face a goalkeeper of your age when you’re older”
Two not only world-class goalkeepers will be on show at Paradise tomorrow night, but two shot-stoppers who have made the most of their careers, playing until their 38.
However, that hasn’t affected their style of play. Both Neuer and Schmeichel are examples of modern sweeper-keepers who are just as capable of pulling off match-winning saves as they are of pinging the ball into wingers’ feet in the wide area.
It is great to see one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time paying tribute to Schmeichel, but also highlighting the level of player that Celtic have in the Danish international, who recently signed a new one-year extension.
For Schmeichel, he will likely be busy tomorrow night, but as he has shown time and time again this season, he is capable of producing world-class saves to keep Celtic in games, meaning that it’s just a case of the Hoops taking their chances at the other end against Neuer, which will be no easy task.
