CELTIC manager Brendan Rodgers described his side's showing in their 5-0 Scottish Cup defeat of Raith Rovers on Saturday as a 'complete performance'.
The holders cruised into the quarter-finals against the Scottish Championship outfit thanks to a hat-trick from Daizen Maeda and strikes from Luke McCowan and the impressive Yang Hyun-Jun.
Maeda also had a goal chalked off for offside while captain Callum McGregor struck the woodwork at Celtic Park.
The performance continued to ease any fears that Celtic may regret not replacing striker Kyogo Furuhashi, who left for Rennes in the January transfer window.
In the three games Maeda has played since his compatriot's departure, he has scored six goals, his hat-trick at Celtic Park on Saturday taking his tally for the season to 21.
Yang, meanwhile, complemented his superbly-taken strike with two assists, while McCowan, Paulo Bernardo and Anthony Ralston also set up goals.
Rodgers was even afforded the luxury of keeping Irish striker Adam Idah — who has also hit a purple patch since Kyogo's departure with four goals in three games — on the bench.
Maeda praise
Speaking after the game, Rodgers was full of praise for his side, who limited their opponents to just one shot.
"It was a very complete performance. These games, as we know, can prove tricky," he told Celtic TV.
"Teams come here with a big motivation from either further down the league or a league below but I thought our professionalism, concentration and quality in the game was very, very good."
On his in-form Japanese forward, Rodgers praised Maeda's versatility, with the former Yokohama F Marinos usually deployed on the wing.
"If anyone has done any depth of work on Daizen Maeda before he came in here, at Yokohama you can see he played as a striker and you see all the various range of goals that he scored," said Rodgers.
"He may not be your traditional up and down No. 9 who maybe isn't as mobile, but he scores goals in a different way.
"He's shown that he's a mobile No. 9 who can run in behind, he's got good movement and speed and can make those finishes that come in the box."
He added: "He can score all different types of goals and he's been absolutely sensational this season in his work rate because it’s not just the 21 goals he's scored, it’s everything else he brings to the team."
Bayern test
With 16 league games left this season and Celtic still involved in the Champions League and Scottish Cup, Maeda already has more than double the goals he managed last term.
However, Rodgers will be without the forward for Wednesday's visit of Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League play-off following his late red card against Young Boys.
The manager will be hoping Idah, given his recent good form, can lead the line after being rested against Raith.
The Cork native recently went 14 games without a goal but in the last of those matches, it was his shot that forced an own goal from Young Boys' Lorus Benito to earn a priceless 1-0 win.
That clearly buoyed the former Norwich man as he followed it up with a brace in the 4-2 defeat at Aston Villa and league goals against Motherwell and Dundee.
Celtic have also added returning talisman Jota and Irish striker Johnny Kenny to their updated Champions League squad, as well as new loan signing Jeffrey Schlupp.
Irishman Johnny Kenny has been added to Celtic's updated Champions League squad after returning from his impressive spell at Shamrock Rovers (Image: Alan Harvey / SNS Group via Getty Images)The trio replace the departed Kyogo, Luis Palma — who has gone on loan to Olympiacos — and loanee Alex Valle, who returned to Barcelona before being loaned to Serie A side Como.
All three could feature against Bayern, with Jota having made a dream return to Celtic as he scored on his first game back against Motherwell.
The experienced Schlupp has bedded in well since his loan switch from Crystal Palace while Sligo native Kenny has returned from an impressive loan spell with Irish side Shamrock Rovers.
The 21-year-old also has invaluable European experience, having scored twice in their 2-1 Champions League First Qualifying Round second leg tie against Víkingur Reykjavík.
He also hit five goals in six Europa Conference League games for Rovers before returning to Celtic, leaving him joint second in the competition's scoring charts behind Chelsea's Marc Guiu.
Bundesliga leaders Bayern head into the game on the back of Friday night's 3-0 win over Werder Bremen, with the league's top scorer, Harry Kane, bagging a brace.
Celtic v Bayern Munich, Champions League knockout phase play-off first leg, Celtic Park, Wednesday, February 12, kick-off 8pm GMT.
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