Celtic head to the continent to play France’s Rennes to kick off their Europa League group stage campaign. The two clubs are joined by Romania’s Cluj and Italy’s Lazio in Group E. On paper, it is a very competitive group that could see any of the four teams win it.
Neil Lennon’s Celtic started their European campaign in early July in the Champions League first qualifying round. They made it all the way to the third qualifying round but lost to Cluj, who just happened to be drawn in Europa League Group E alongside the Hoops.
Celtic defeated AIK Stockholm in the playoff round to reach the group stage proper. Lennon will hope his team can now rebound from their Champions League shortcomings.
Rennes qualified for the Europa League group stage courtesy of their Coupe de France win last term. Julian Stephan’s team has started the season well on the domestic front with three straight victories.
[@EuropaLeague]🚗🚌 Sorties de bureaux, d’écoles, match d’#EuropaLeague au @RoazhonPark… La soirée de jeudi s’annonce chargée sur la rocade rennaise et sur les routes du centre-ville. Prenez vos précautions.Toutes les infos ici 👉 https://t.co/dw2yZoOs5i pic.twitter.com/BTv2n0hQ4e— Stade Rennais F.C. (@staderennais) September 18, 2019
[@EuropaLeague]🚗🚌 Sorties de bureaux, d’écoles, match d’#EuropaLeague au @RoazhonPark… La soirée de jeudi s’annonce chargée sur la rocade rennaise et sur les routes du centre-ville. Prenez vos précautions.Toutes les infos ici 👉 https://t.co/dw2yZoOs5i pic.twitter.com/BTv2n0hQ4e
One of those victories saw Rennes defeat Paris Saint-Germain 2-1. They have stuttered in their last two matches picking up just one point from six available.
Coincidentally, Celtic and Rennes played in preseason at Celtic Park in Glasgow. The friendly fixture ended nil-nil with neither side able to get the upper hand. Thursday night’s clash at the Roazhon Park will definitely see the emotion and aggression dialled up from preseason.
Celtic head into the fixture with a perfect 100% record in the Scottish Premiership. The Hoops have outscored opponents 18-3 with three fixtures ending in wins to nil. Midfielder Ryan Christie has been in fine form with eight goals in all competitions this term.
Lennon has several players sidelined with injuries. Jozo Simunovic is set to miss a considerable amount of time following knee surgery. Nir Bitton, Mikey Johnston, Luca Connell, and Marian Shved are all out of Thursday night’s trip to Rennes.
Rennes could be without two players for the Europa League Group E clash. Forward Metehan Guclu is still out with a long-term injury and won’t be available until later this season. Meanwhile, defender Gerzino Nyamsi should be available to make the bench at the very least.
Despite Celtic’s free-scoring in Scotland, they should be stifled by a good Rennes team. Lennon’s options will be thin, which should play into the French team’s hands.
Thursday night’s Europa League matchday 1 fixture between Rennes and Celtic should see under 2.5 goals with both sides finding the back of the net. Two evenly matched sides will go at it with nothing to separate them.