OLIVIER Ntcham believes the return of captain Scott Brown will enable Celtic to reclaim their best form in the Champions League meeting with Bayern Munich in Germany on Wednesday night.
The Scottish champions were unconvincing against Ladbrokes Premiership rivals Dundee at Parkhead on Saturday even though a second half Ntcham strike sealed a 1-0 victory.
However, Brendan Rodgers rested several first team regulars ahead of the Group B match in Germany in midweek – including skipper Brown.
Ntcham is confident having his central midfield partner back in the Allianz Arena will result in an improved showing against Jupp Heynckes’s star-studded team.
“I think it is very important to have our captain fit again and I hope he is going to play in this game,” the Frenchman said. “I am very happy for him that he is back.
“He gives the team a real team spirit. He is always fighting for the team and he refuses to ever give up. He is always on the ball and trying to get the team going.
“Even if he doesn’t have it, he will always try and win it back for us. It’s really good to have him. Without him in the team, the same feeling on the pitch is not there. It’s not there.
“He helps me a lot when we are on the pitch together. There have been times when things have not been so good, maybe when I have not felt so comfortable, and he speaks to me and encourages me to keep going.”
Ntcham started the Champions League match against Anderlecht last month poorly before recovering and helping to set up the opening goal with an exceptional pass to Kieran Tierney.
The 21-year-old revealed how Brown had helped him to come good in a game which Celtic ended up winning 3-0.
“At the start of the match against Anderlecht, I even surprised myself,” he said. “I felt like I was missing everything and not getting things right. But some days can be like that. Other days, it seems that every-thing you do is good.
“I then had a pass that helped to set up the first goal so that gave me a bit of confidence and I could go on from there.
“Scott helped me a lot to get through that difficult start to the game in Brussels. He was vocal and kept me going in the right direction. Does he say it nicely? Well, you know what it’s like on the pitch! No, I’m just joking. Dedryck Boyata was the same. He is another who is always speaking to me.”
Meanwhile, Ntcham, who will be hoping his goal against Dundee results in him getting handed a start against Bayern, has revealed he is desperate to get the better of his former France Under-21 team mate Kingsley Coman in Munich on Wednesday evening.
“Kingsley is a friend of mine and we keep in touch,” he said. “When I went away on the international break just there, he was there with us. It was good to see him.
“We have played many games together. Maybe 10 to 15 games together in the French team. He's a very good player. He scored on Saturday against Freiburg so I'm happy for him!
“We were speaking about the Bayern v Celtic game and what was going to happen. He was saying they are going to win, but I said we hope we are going to win as well. We will all see what happens on Wednesday night.
‘Myself and Moussa (Celtic striker Dembele) teased him a bit. But we laugh like that all the time when we are together. It is good.
“On the pitch, Kingsley is a player we need to watch because he is very talented. He is very fast and very strong when he has the ball at his feet. You have to be very careful when he is playing.
“We are confident after the win. They're a good team but we have a chance to go there and do something against them. We have to believe we can. You are always learning and I think we will learn again on Wednesday. In Europe anything can happen so we will have to see.”
Meanwhile, Ntcham has dismissed Bayern’s chances of winning the Champions League for a sixth time this season.
Asked if the German giants could win, he said: “I don't think so. PSG is a very tough and strong team. It's hard to compare the two because we have played against PSG, but we haven't played against Bayern. We will have a better idea after Wednesday.”
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