Mika Baur's Incredible Celtic Park Debut

Mika Baur walked out at Celtic Park for the first time and felt exactly what he had only ever seen through a screen.

“Incredible,” the Celtic midfielder said, still sounding a touch wide‑eyed as he reflected on his home debut. The noise, the colour, the surge from the stands – this was the Parkhead he had grown up watching on television, only now it was wrapped around him, not beamed into his living room.

That first appearance in Glasgow came in style. Celtic swept LASK aside 3-0 in last week’s Champions League play-off first leg, a commanding win that has Martin O'Neill’s side within touching distance of the group stage. For Baur, signed from Paderborn in the summer, it was the perfect way to introduce himself to the home crowd after a brief outing off the bench at Tannadice in the League Cup.

“The atmosphere and energy in the stadium – I knew it before from sitting in front of the TV and now to feel it in real life is incredible, such a nice feeling,” the 22-year-old German said. “Playing in the Champions League is a dream for every young kid growing up watching football.”

That dream is now close enough to feel, but O’Neill has been careful to hammer home one message all week: this tie is not finished. A 3-0 lead is strong. It is not a guarantee. Baur has taken that warning to heart.

“It’s difficult because we know they are a good team,” he said of LASK. “They made a good match in Glasgow, so we know what we have to do. We need the same mentality and energy to hopefully win again.”

The pressure finally told in the first leg as Celtic’s intensity broke the Austrians, yet Baur’s focus is on repeating the performance, not admiring it. The second leg offers him another chance to grow into his new surroundings, on and off the pitch.

His move from Germany has brought a different football culture, a different city, and a very different manager.

“He makes us feel comfortable, his way to manage the team is different to how I know it in Germany, but he’s really, really impressive,” Baur said of O’Neill, clearly relishing the shift in environment.

There is plenty happening away from the training ground as well. New teammates, a new league, a new life to build.

“There’s a lot going on at the moment, but I really enjoy it,” he added. “To meet new people and play with them, it’s a different style but I really enjoy it and to walk around the city, look for apartments, it’s a nice time at the moment.”

For now, the apartment hunt can wait. Celtic stand one match away from the Champions League proper, and Baur is desperate to turn that “incredible” first taste of Parkhead into a regular soundtrack on Europe’s biggest nights.