JUPP HEYNCKES has insisted age is not a barrier for him or his squad as he prepares to lead Bayern Munich for the fourth time today ahead of Wednesday's Champions League showdown with Celtic.

The 72-year-old coach has been in charge of the Bavarian giants twice as permanent manager and once in a caretaker role and will manage them again today in the Bundesliga against Freiburg, where he will be greeted like a returning hero by 75,000 adoring Germans.

And, in his first pre-match press conference ahead of his football resurrection after four years out of the game, Heynckes was keen to stress he's ready to bring the good times back to Bayern – he was the first boss to win the treble in Germany including the Champions League, four years ago.

Heynckes said: "I was and still am a passionate coach. I get a lot of enjoyment from working with my players.

"My age is not relevant and neither is it relevant for my players. Age is not an issue. It is about fitness, professionalism and motivation, the head is often more important than the legs.

"Perhaps when I get to 80, I might have to think about whether I will take the players out on a jog!

"I expect to have a highly motivated team. I've come back for Bayern, I've always been a very optimistic person, but I am absolutely convinced that success will come again.

"Pride is a big word, I rarely use it – I'm just glad to be well received by the fans.

"I will get a tingling feeling before the game, but I am a calm person. After we won the Champions League, journalists asked me if I was not happy because I was so calm!"

Heynckes, who will rest Chile star Arturo Vidal for the Celtic game, has urged his many senior players in the squad to manage themselves.

He said: "I get the feeling the fun is back in the squad. They are happy.

"But it is important to have leaders. A hierarchy must be formed, based on the intellect of the players, but above all on the performance of the players.

"When I had players like Philipp Lahm or Bastian Schweinsteiger, they regulated and controlled unprofessional behaviour before they came to me."

Meanwhile, Bayern's star striker Robert Lewandowski has warned Celtic his personal dream is to win the Champions League.

Celebrated Polish striker Lewandowski was criticised by his own club's chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge after he complained about their lack of big-money transfers.

And despite being linked with a move to Real Madrid, the 29-year-old is adamant he would rather Bayern won the Champions League than he gained personal glory with the Ballon d'Or award.

He said: "In the Champions League, after our defeat at PSG, we have work to do to qualify. We have to play to the end. But who knows? Maybe we will win the Champions League and the Bundesliga.

"I wouldn't say the Ballon d'Or was that important to me. Success at Bayern is more important, especially in the Champions League.

"If we reach the Champions League final and win the Bundesliga, we can speak again but the Ballon d'Or is never my focus.

"My main target is winning the Champions League. After winning the Bundesliga and Cup a lot, you have to start thinking about other trophies.

"Last season, we were disappointed because we knew we were playing well but sometimes in football a poor few minutes means you are out of the Champions League.

"If I had been 100 percent fit to play in Madrid, I think we could have made the semi-final, then who knows maybe we would have won the Champions League.

"But it's a new season with a new manager and a new challenge. Sometimes it's not so easy if you are at a club that changes manager during the season.

"We have to push on now. We are five points behind Dortmund, but there are a lot of games left until the end of the season."