Celtic are about to embark on another Champions League campaign but this time, with Kieran Tierney in their ranks.
Celtic unveiled Tierney this week after months of waiting and now that the former Arsenal defender is back in Paradise, Tierney is looking forward to experiencing the Champions League in the green and white Hoops.
With a third-round qualifier needing to be negotiated by Brendan Rodgers, the Celtic manager will be more confident of getting past that with Tierney in his ranks.
Looking back at last season’s Champions League campaign, Tierney has identified the game he watched whilst at Arsenal that proved to him that Celtic had ‘made their mark’ in UEFA’s elite competition.
Kieran Tierney hails Celtic’s performance vs Bayern Munich as ‘unbelievable’
Celtic’s draw at Bayern Munich would, on a normal European night, would have been hailed as a huge success.
Unfortunately, the 2-1 defeat at Celtic Park meant that the Hoops exited the competition 3-2 on aggregate but Tierney still hails that match as the most memorable of the campaign.
Tierney told Celtic TV, “It was unbelievable. The Bayern Munich game, obviously, was the biggest high when we scored and the biggest low when conceded last minute.
“But I think that just shows the journey that the club’s been on, not just one or two years, but the last six, seven years, is building towards making our mark in Europe.
“And I believe the squad there can do it, and they showed that this year as well.”
Kieran Tierney’s Champions League record at Arsenal compared to Celtic
Tierney has experienced the group stage of Europe’s top competition with both Celtic and Arsenal.
Here is how the Celtic defender has fared:
| Kieran Tierney’s Champions League record | Played | Minutes |
| Arsenal | 5 | 119 |
| Celtic | 9 | 810 |
As you can see, Tierney was central to Celtic’s Champions League campaign compared to being a bit-part star for Arsenal.
Who Kieran Tierney has faced in the Champions League with Celtic
Celtic’s record in the Champions League when Tierney was at Parkhead was not the best.
The Scotland defender’s nine appearances were against the likes of Barcelona, Man City, Borussia Monchengladbach, PSG (2), Anderlecht (2) and, of course, Bayern Munich (2).
The best result Celtic achieved in Tierney’s first tenure was the 3-0 away win at the Belgian champions.
Who Kieran Tierney has faced in the Champions League with Arsenal
Arsenal’s record in the Champions League with Tierney has been much better, which is understandable given the vast resources of the Premier League club.
At Arsenal, Tierney has faced Dinamo Zagreb, PSV (2) and Real Madrid (2). The Gunners were undefeated with the Celtic defender in the team.
Arsenal’s two wins against Real Madrid were the highlights of Tierney’s Champions League experiences with the Emirates club.
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