Former Dundee boss tips Celtic for result against Rennes

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Former Dundee boss Simon Stainrod has tipped Celtic to get a result against Rennes in the Europa League on Thursday night.

Neil Lennon’s men go into their Group E opener in Brittany full of confidence after chalking up six wins in a row. But they’re up against the French Cup champions and the team currently in second in Ligue 1.

But Stainrod, who is familiar with French football due to his work as an agent in the country, reckons that the Hoops shouldn’t fear Julien Stephan’s side.

Stainrod told the Scottish Sun: “If Celtic were playing Lille or Lyon or PSG, I’d say those would be dangerous places for them to go. But Rennes? Not really.

“They are a good side but not a great one. They finished last season in mid-table and qualified for the Europa League because they won the French Cup. Mid-table is about right for them.

“They were actually a better side last season. Two of their best players are no longer playing — Benjamin Andre, who’s a clever midfielder, went to Lille, while Hatem Ben Arfa seems to have fallen out of favour.

“Without Ben Arfa I suspect they will struggle. He was the one who gave them something different.”

Celtic can hurt Rennes on Thursday

It’s interesting to hear Stainrod say that the French side have lost a lot of quality in the summer. Much has been made about the fact they spent big money to bring in the likes of Raphinha and M’Baye Niang but they have also lost several of the top talents from their cup winning side.

Ismaila Sarr is currently tearing it up for Watford while goalkeeper Tomas Koubek will also be another big loss for Stephan’s side. He will still be trying to mould his new look team together and Celtic will just be hoping that this match comes a little early for Rennes.

The good thing about the Europa League is that Celtic can look to compete in these tough looking away matches. Rennes should be respected, and could make things difficult for us, but they’re not to be feared. Not the same way we would against a team like PSG.

We have the players to hurt them on Thursday night. We just need to hope that the team can put in a similar performance to Ibrox. If so, then we should be in with a good chance of getting a result.