FOR the Celtic fans, the chance to witness their team playing at the Bernabeu is the stuff of bucket lists. To play there may well feature prominently among the dreams of their players too.
Moritz Jenz though believes that the prospect of coming to Celtic Park though should be giving their Champions League opponents – even the superstars of Real Madrid – cause for one or two restless nights.
The German defender had heard all about the famous atmosphere at Celtic Park before he arrived on these shores, and thanks to some of the most storied names in the game, he is familiar with tales of the extra magic that Champions League games adds to occasions in the East End of Glasgow.
So, as much as he is savouring the opportunity to go up against Los Blancos at their iconic stadium, he says that the experience will have to go some to compare with the nights he is so looking forward to sampling in his new home.
“I’ve never been to Madrid, so this will be my first trip,” Jenz said. “I’m looking forward to seeing the famous Bernabeu.
“But for me, nothing compares to Celtic Park. A lot of players, like Leo Messi and the Bayern Munich players, have spoken about the incredible atmosphere here.
“It’s a frightening place for an away team because the fans are crazy here in Scotland and the game is intense.”
As certain as Jenz is that Celtic can compete with anything that the European elite has to offer when it comes to support in the stands, he is just as unequivocal in his verdict when asked if the team have what it takes to compete with Real Madrid, RB Leipzig and Shakhtar Donetsk to qualify from the group on the pitch.
“Yes, definitely,” he said. “Honestly, I have to say since the first training session, there’s really no limit in the team. The quality that we have. Every training session is like a challenge. Every training is new, very demanding.
“We have dominated in league games and now it’s going to be very interesting to see how we do in the Champions League against the big teams of the other countries. But we are always looking to improve.”
On a personal level, Jenz is also looking forward to seeing how he will measure up as he tries to do what just about every defender in the world has failed to; stymie the threat of Karim Benzema.
“It sounds very interesting, sounds very challenging!” he said.
“You always want to compete against the best players. So I’m really looking forward to compete against them.”
While nobody needs an introduction to the stars of Real Madrid, Jenz may be able to provide his manager and teammates with some inside information about RB Leipzig, and he is looking forward to the opportunity of showing what he can do in his homeland.
“If I’m honest, I didn’t really mind if it was a German club or not,” he said. “But, it’s nice to go back to Germany and compete against a German team.
“I have two friends who used to play at Leipzig and we’re still in touch, we still talk about it. So they will definitely text me in a few minutes. They’ll also say ‘you come to Leipzig, how about some tickets?’
“We will have to do our job, we have to be brave.”
While Jenz has impressed in his defending since arriving at Celtic, it has been his goalscoring prowess at the other end that has been something of a surprise, even to Jenz himself.
He scored a crucial goal in his debut at Ross County, then followed it up with an overhead kick against Kilmarnock, and he is hoping to take that goal threat into the Champions League too.
“I first need to stop my goal drought as I didn’t score in the last game!” he joked.
“If I have the chance to be dangerous in the box in the Champions League then hopefully I can take it.
“We’ve been doing a lot of practice on set pieces so if there are opportunities then I want to be as dangerous as possible.
“An overhead kick in Madrid? Of course! A goal is a goal for me, and I’d take a scrappy one as long as I can contribute to the team.
“I’ve settled very quickly and I feel right at home here. It’s been amazing since the first minute I came in.
“The style of play really suits me and that’s why I am performing well. I feel so comfortable and I hope I can keep contributing.”
Jenz was delighted to see that his manager Postecoglou bolstered the ranks further yesterday ahead of the Champions League test by sealing a deal for attacker Sead Haksabanovic, a player he is familiar with.
“He’s a very talented player and a very nice person,” he said. “When you are a big team you need a lot of options and he is another attacking option for us.
“There’s a lot of competition all over the team, you look at the centre back positions as well. It’ at the same upfront. We want to be dangerous for 90 minutes and we have got attacking players who can start or come on with 20 minutes to go and they can make a difference.”
