Alan Brazil: Munich meltdown may open the door for Celtic

THIS time last week, I didn’t think Celtic had any hope whatsoever of securing Champions League progression.

Now I reckon they are well in the hunt.

But it isn’t the way they played against Anderlecht that has got me believing.

It’s the blow-up at Bayern Munich.

Carlo Ancelotti’s sacking after Bayern’s 3-0 humbling by Paris Saint-Germain has left the German giants in turmoil.

They need to get it sorted quickly. But for Celtic’s sake, I hope they don’t.

Let’s lay the facts out.

Bayern are still a massive club in terms of their financial clout, but they are no longer the formidable outfit they were under Pep Guardiola.

They are an ageing side for a start.

Guys such as Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben have been doing the business at the top level for years.

But they are now in the veterans category, aged 34 and 33 respectively.

When your top guys get to that age, it’s a problem – and there isn’t necessarily a quick fix.

There have also been reports in Germany of Bayern players falling out with Ancelotti.

The atmosphere has been terrible.

That’s never a good sign because a rotten dressing room is another thing that takes time to mend, even after the manager has gone.

That could all go in Celtic’s favour.

But something else has come to light over the last week that has made me think.

Bayern weren’t the only German team to lose in the Champions League during this round of fixtures.

Their other two representatives – RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund – were comfortably stuffed, too.

A few years back, that would have been a massive shock.

Now it looks like the Bundesliga’s spell as the top league in Europe could be coming to an end.

When you talk about the real big boys in Europe now, you mention Real Madrid and Barcelona. You have to chuck PSG into the mix too after their spending spree.

But do Bayern sneak on to the top rung of the ladder any more? Maybe not.

So against an ageing Munich side in turmoil and without a manager – and perhaps on the down-swing of a cycle – I’d have to say Celtic have a chance.

If they can go to the Allianz Arena on October 18 and get a point, that makes the return game on October 31 absolutely enormous.

And, as we all know, Celtic Park comes alive on occasions like those.

The noise and the passion have spooked the top players in the world more than once.

Barcelona, AC Milan, Juventus, Manchester United, Benfica and Ajax have all been humbled at Parkhead.

And since it has been a few years since the Hoops claimed a big scalp, perhaps Bayern will be the next?

But on the other hand, I’m probably getting myself a bit carried away.

The truth is, I’d still be delighted for Celtic to finish third in that group.

A weakened proposition or not, Bayern could still take six points off Celtic.

Yet something about the Bhoys’ performance against Anderlecht gives me hope.

They were so full of confidence, so willing to take the ball, and so ruthless going forward.

They looked like the top team Brendan Rodgers has been striving to turn them into since he arrived.

They could be peaking just at the right time.

Or, as far as Bayern Munich are concerned, just at the wrong time.