Brown crucial for Munich test, insists Ntcham

OLIVIER NTCHAM believes the return of captain Scott Brown can inspire Celtic in their bid to defy the Champions League odds against Bayern Munich.

Brown sat out Saturday’s 1-0 win over Dundee but took part in a post-match training session as he stepped up his recovery from a hamstring injury that ruled him out of Scotland’s final World Cup qualifiers.

Manager Brendan Rodgers expects the 32-year-old to be ready for the Allianz Arena on Wednesday night, with Stuart Armstrong and Jozo Simunovic also set to feature after experiencing their own fitness issues.

Ntcham pointed towards Brown’s comeback as especially vital against the Bundesliga

giants, insisting Celtic are a different team without the skipper’s sizeable influence.

‘I think it is very important to have our captain fit again and I hope he is going to play in this game,’ said the 21-year-old French midfielder, who scored against Dundee. ‘I am very happy for him that he is back.

‘Scott gives us 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 to win it back for us.

‘Without him in the team, the same feeling on the pitch is 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, when I have not felt so comfortable, and he speaks to me and encourages me to keep going. That was what it was like against Anderlecht.’

Brown hurt his hamstring during the 3-0 win over the Belgians last month, a result that hugely boosted Celtic’s ambitions of European football beyond Christmas.

Ntcham was thankful to have Brown by his side as he toiled during the early stages in Brussels. Regaining his composure, the £4.5million signing stepped up to slide a perfect pass for Kieran Tierney in the build-up to Leigh Griffiths’ crucial opening goal.

‘At the start of the match against Anderlecht, I surprised myself,’ added Ntcham. ‘I felt like I was missing everything and not getting things right. But some days can be like that. Other days, it seems everything 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 (Brown) was vocal and kept me going in the right direction.’