Celtic vs Rennes looked like a match for the youngsters to shine in, but Neil Lennon has hinted that some first-team stars will feature too.
The friendly contest is sandwiched in between two Champions League qualification matches against Sarajevo. But after Celtic saw off the Bosnians with ease on their own patch last night in a 3-1 success, there doesn’t look to be much to worry about ahead of the second leg at Celtic Park.
This could allow Lennon to mix and match with his squad for both Saturday’s friendly and next Wednesday’s second-leg. For supporters who have purchased tickets for Saturday, however, it looks like they’ll be seeing more first-teamers than perhaps first thought. The game is also free for season-ticket holders too.
And speaking to Celtic TV post-match last night, Lennon confirmed his plans to use Saturday as a chance to continue building up a couple of big stars’ fitness levels.
“The friendly is important. For the likes of Griff and the boys who didn’t play to get a run-out. Hopefully Christopher will get some game-time as well. It’s just a case of slowly but surely getting them up to match fitness.
“We’re going to need these players if we’re going to progress (in the Champions League).”
Celtic vs Rennes could be a decent prospect
The standout name there is Jullien. It looks as though supporters in attendance are going to be the first to get a glimpse of him up close. Leigh Griffiths, of course, is another heavy-hitter who Lennon has namedropped to feature on Saturday,
It could also be an opportunity to see the likes of Karamoko Dembele, Armstrong Oko-Flex, Anthony Ralston, Marian Shved (if fit) etc. By the way Lennon was speaking, it doesn’t sound as though it’s going to be a weak side by any stretch of the imagination.
The contest represents Rennes first pre-season game of the campaign. Meanwhile, Celtic have already completed their pre-season training camp in Austria and Switzerland. We should certainly be the sharper of the two sides heading into this one.
It doesn’t seem as though the line-up will be as youthful as the one that slipped up 1-0 in Arbroath a few days ago. Lennon is certainly using the match as a way to build up some of his big stars’ fitness levels, and that’s a plus for Celtic fans heading along to the contest.
Equally, the second leg against Sarajevo provides us with an opportunity to give some of the fringe stars some game-time too. The tie is definitely over, and Lennon has managed to give himself some breathing space to adjust things however he sees fit.
Hopefully, Celtic continue their fine form even in the friendly match on Saturday.
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