CELTIC have a habit of leaving their Champions League opponents dazed and confused in the opening stages of matches but then Christoph Kramer already knows all too well how it feels to be uncomfortable and disorientated on one of the biggest stages football has to offer. Two years ago, at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, the Borussia Moenchengladbach captain was part of the Germany team for the World Cup final against Argentina when he clashed with Ezequiel Garay and crumpled to the turf with a head knock just 17 minutes in. Despite picking himself up and playing on for a further 14 minutes, his own game was up when he asked referee Nicola Rizzoli to confirm that this was in fact the final. It was decided there and then that it would be safer if he didn't continue and Joachin Loew's side went on to conquer the world without him.

While a passionate home crowd at Parkhead appeared to throw Manchester City out of their stride in the previous matchday, a World Cup final isn't a bad game to have under your belt, while Germany beat hosts Brazil 7-1 in the semi-final just to get that far. It is worth noting also that Bundesliga grounds are famed for their atmosphere, not least Moenchengladbach's own Borussia-Park, which holds 55,000 when full.

"Of course I can remember the World Cup final and I remember the atmosphere, it was a very good atmosphere," said Kramer. "It will be the same here. I didn't play against Brazil but I was there and to be involved in such a match helps me prepare to play Celtic.

"I have been to many different stadiums with a great atmosphere," he added. "St Pauli is one, the World Cup in Brazil was another.

"But I know that the atmosphere is different here. It’s unique and different to what I am used to. I have watched some footage of the Celtic Champions League games on YouTube and I can see that it is special. I watched a song from one of the recent games and I also watched footage of the Liverpool game when they sang 'You’ll Never Walk Alone'. We have a tough challenge tomorrow but we want to bring a strong team to the table."

Moenchengladbach travel to Scotland with what is known in the trade as a full-blown injury crisis. Five of their top players are missing with a variety of ailments, not least star strikers Thorgan Hazard, the younger brother of Chelsea star Eden, and Raffael. Swiss frontman Josip Drmic is out, as is USA midfielder Fabian Johnson and on-loan Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen. They sit just ninth in the table, having missed two penalties in a goalless draw against a ten-man Hamburg on Saturday, but Kramer insists they will show no fear.

“Scottish football isn’t as good as German football but Celtic is special," he said. "They are a very good team and we have seen that against Manchester City. They can do that against anyone in Europe. They are not a typical Scottish team, they are a Champions League team. So there is no favourite for the game. It is 50-50.

“But I do not fear coming here," he added. "We are all looking forward to it. We are certainly not scared of playing against Celtic. We have earned our place in this competition and deserve to be here. We must play to win. That is always the case. Generally a draw could be acceptable but ultimately what we want is to win."

With a 2-1 'Gladbach win in a Glasgow friendly in July 2013 the only previous meeting between these two teams, some educated guesswork is still required to fathom Moenchengladbach's precise starting line-up. Manager Andre Schubert prefers to go with a 3-4-1-2 formation, but switched to four at the back in their 2-1 home defeat to Barcelona in the previous matchday. The absences will put an increased focus on striker Andre Hahn and talented 20-year-old Syrian-German midfielder Mahmoud Dahoud. "We are going to try our best to improve on what happened against Hamburg at the weekend," said Kramer, also part of the Germany team which beat Scotland 3-2 at Hampden. "We have to make the most of our chances."