Celtic are hoping history repeats itself when they travel to Rennes on Thursday night.
The Hoops are eying an opening win in their crunch Europa League group.
The man in charge José María Sánchez is a familiar face for the bhoys in green.
He was an assistant in the Hoops’ home win over RB Leipzig in last seasons Europa match.
Do Celtic have the referee advantage against Rennes?
The Celts are going into the group opener on good form domestically and are without defeat in five games.
Rennes, despite a strong start, are without a win in their last three matches.
Both sides are trophy winners in the previous season and have strongly rebuffed their squads over the summer.
The match could come down to simple decisions and that it is down to the referee.
A familiar Spaniard is taking charge of the match at Roazhon Park in north west France.
Sánchez was one of the goal line assistants during Celtic’s miraculous win over the German side.
Not many gave the Hoops a chance against the Germans who were steamrolling teams in Europe.
Kieran Tierney scored on 11 minutes before Jean-Kevin Augustin levelled it on the 78th.
However, in a massive turn in events, Odsonne Edouard got the lead right back a minute later.
Hoops fans will be hoping for the win again this time but in far less dramatic circumstances.
Ref is the only omen for Thursday’s Europa League clash
Unfortunately, the man in charge is the only other external connection.
His colleagues haven’t been anywhere near a Celtic or Rennes European match in the past.
The fans are going to be friendly but the players have nothing to be pals about and want the best for their team.
Hopefully the men in charge will not be in the headlines come full-time.
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