Sebastian Hoeness has revealed he has already seen off Scottish sides – and caught sight of the Celtic Park cauldronMark Walker and Mark Pirie Assistant Live Sports Editor

11:19, 17 Feb 2026

Head coach Sebastian Hoeness of VfB Stuttgart

Stuttgart boss Sebastian Hoeness has revealed he’s already masterminded a victory in Scotland and tasted the Parkhead European nights experience, ahead of the showdown at Celtic.

But his win was at the more modest surroundings of Cappielow in Greenock in front of just 308 fans. Celtic host the Bundesliga side in the first leg of the Europa League play-offs, after their dramatic league win at Kilmarnock at the weekend.

But although Hoeness – nephew of German icon Uli – has never managed a senior team in Scotland, he was in charge of the Bayern Munich Under 19s side who played against Celtic in the UEFA Youth League in 2017 at Morton’s home ground.

And Hoeness guided his Bayern kids to a 2-1 win in Greenock before watching in the stands as the senior Bayern side repeated the same scoreline at Parkhead later that night after goals from Javi Martinez and Kingsley Coman, after Callum McGregor had equalised.

And Hoeness, who took charge of Stuttgart in 2023, recalled: “There was just enough time to drive to Glasgow and make the kick off after the Youth League game.

“The atmosphere is incredible and it was a fantastic experience. Jupp Heynckes was the manager and it was a tough game.

“It’s difficult, but highly motivating to play there.

“But we go there with confidence because we are in good form right now.”

And Stuttgart defender Jeff Chabot admits he can’t wait to experience the atmosphere. He said: “I’ve watched videos of Celtic Park and also some of their famous Champions League matches from a few years back.

“There were some huge games there. So we are looking forward to the atmosphere and a fantastic match.

“Of course, we have respect for Celtic, but the anticipation outweighs everything else.

“We can go there with our heads held high because we’ve been performing well for months. We’re in good form right now.”

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