Former Celtic midfielder, and current Alloa Athletic boss, Peter Grant reckons that the Hoops would “be delighted” to escape Rennes without losing on Thursday night.
Neil Lennon’s men get their Europa League Group E campaign up and running in the North of France, against Julien Stephan’s slick outfit.
The Brittany side are currently second in Ligue 1 to PSG and beat the Parisian outfit earlier this season, as well as in the French Cup final last term.
And it is with that reputation in mind that Grant thinks the home side are favourites.
“I’ve watched Rennes quite closely since the draw and they’re a talented side,” he told the BBC. “If you come away with a draw, you’d be delighted, it’s one of those places.
“They play with no fear, they’re a young team. They play with high energy, fantastic technique, so Celtic will need to be at their best.”
Grant is right, a point would be a good result
Grant is right about the Rennes clash being a tough test for Lennon’s side. But the game won’t be all about how we deal with the French outfit. We have players who can cause them problems too, especially on the counter-attack.
But he is right about a draw being a good result. Lennon would probably bite your hand off to come away from Roazhon Park undefeated and it would give us a real chance of making the last 32 of the competition – even at this early stage.
It’s a big night for the likes of Odsonne Edouard and Christopher Jullien who will be looking to showcase their talents on home soil. If both of them have a good night then we’ll stand a pretty fair chance of avoiding defeat.
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