Bayern Munich v Celtic: Brendan Rodgers calls for positive mindset against Germans

Rodgers thinks Bayern Munich are "one of the best teams in world football"

Brendan Rodgers has called on his Celtic players to show resilience and confidence when they face Bayern Munich in the Allianz Arena on Wednesday.

Celtic and Bayern are tied on three points after two matches in Group B.

The visiting manager said his team have the ability to trouble "one of the best teams world football".

"We'll go in with a positive mindset," added Rodgers. "We know that we can come away from home, play football and score goals and that is our intention."

• Bayern buoyed by return of Old Master Heynckes

• Bayern Munich v Celtic - match preview

Celtic have suffered the wounding loss of Jozo Simunovic, the centre-back succumbing to a hamstring injury. Mikael Lustig is likely to move inside to replace Simunovic with Crisitian Gamboa taking over from Lustig at right-back.

The visitors will, however, be boosted by the return of captain Scott Brown and playmaker Stuart Armstrong. Both are fit and should start.

"We're going to have to be resilient but we've got to be confident enough to play. We respect we're playing against fantastic players. They'll be highly motivated and they'll want to come out and really press the game and show their qualities."

Scott Sinclair was bullish in the preamble. "We need to come here without fear," said the Celtic midfielder. "We need to go into the game full of confidence and belief that we can get a win.

"The crowd won't faze us (the Allianz Arena is a 70,000 sell-out). We're used to playing in front of 60,000 every week.

"There's so many things we've learned since the (5-0) loss to Paris St-Germain. We need to be more compact. I wouldn't say fear is the right word (about their attitude against the French) but we put too much pressure on ourselves because we wanted to do so well and sometimes you can try a little too hard.

"It's all about being relaxed as players, getting the ball down and creating chances."

Rodgers wary of Heynckes 'bounce'

Heynckes oversaw a 5-0 victory at the weekend, the start of his fourth spell at the club

Bayern's record in their own stadium is formidable. In the past two and a bit seasons they have lost only four times in the Allianz in all competitions. They have changed their manager recently, from Carlo Ancelotti, the unpopular Italian, to Jupp Heynckes, the club legend.

Rodgers said he noticed a marked improvement in Heynckes' first match in charge at the weekend, a 5-0 thumping of Freiburg.

"They've changed their management and it's given them a little bounce effect," he said.

"You always look at players and how hard they work and how they press and certainly in Saturday's game Bayern Munich's counter press went to a different level to what they had been.

"So that is something that we will have to cope with.

"Obviously the new manager is someone who is respected throughout the club and a lot of players here know him very well, they know how he works.

"Sometimes you get that effect. How long it lasts, time will tell."