With another Europa League matchday behind us, Celtic are looking confidently ahead to the final three group games.
Neil Lennon’s team sit top of Group E and are the only team unbeaten in our section. With seven points; one ahead of Cluj, four ahead of Lazio and six ahead of Rennes, we are in great shape.
However, it’s always worth keeping an eye on how our opponents are getting on domestically between Thursday fixtures.
Did any of them have as good a weekend as we did?
Rennes end horror run
Prior to the French side’s weekend match at home to Toulouse, they hadn’t won a match in ten attempts. it was a run that stretched all the way back to August before the Europa League group had even been drawn.
Beaten by Cluj 1-0 last Thursday in a match that results in three sending offs, there was pressure on their shoulders ahead of the Ligue 1 clash.
However, they managed to overcome the challenge of Toulouse thanks to a late injury time winner from substitute Yann Gboho.
It’s the kind of result that could kickstart their season and time will tell whether they can now show consistency ahead of our match against them in Glasgow on November 28th.
Lazio bounce back
Celtic’s win over the Italian Cup winners has put their chances of qualification for the knockout stages of the Europa League in serious doubt. However, in Serie A, things are progressing nicely for the Rome side.
They currently sit sixth in the table after nine matches, just two points away from the Champions League qualification spots.
Ciro Immobile and company bounced back from defeat with Glasgow with a 2-1 win away to Fiorentina. The star striker was the hero of the night for Lazio, netting in the 89th minute to collect all three points.
A pick up in league form could even be a good thing for us. If they have their eye on European qualification next year through Serie A, they might take their eye off the ball when we come visiting.
Cluj’s money woes
The Romanian champions haven’t played their latest league fixture yet, which takes place tonight.
However, there was news over the weekend that wasn’t exactly encouraging for them.
Manager Dan Petrescu has blasted club officials for not paying European bonuses to both the manager and his players, despite a really solid showing in Champions League qualifiers and the current Europa League group stages.
As quoted by The Daily Record, he said: “The players are still waiting to receive their agreed financial bonuses for the European games. And I am still waiting too. We’re all waiting. What can we do?
“We have enjoyed a good European run and are in a strong position to qualify for the last 32 from our group too.
“It’s a delicate subject and it seems to be a problem in Romanian football everywhere. I just hope our club management resolve this issue soon.”
How that pans out is worth keeping an eye on. If it’s an issue that drags on then Celtic could capitalise on low morale when the two sides meet in December.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
