France-based agent believes Celtic have nothing to worry about vs Rennes

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Celtic have been tipped to pick up a positive result against Rennes on Thursday night.

Football agent Simon Stainrod, who works in French football, believes Neil Lennon’s Celtic have absolutely nothing to fear against Rennes in the UEFA Europa League, The Scottish Sun report.

The Hoops kick off their group stage campaign in France tomorrow, hoping to avoid defeat and set themselves up for a bid at reaching the knockout stages of the competition.

Rennes, as French Cup winners, pose a significant threat.

However Stainrod, who previously played with Queens Park Rangers and Aston Villa, as well as managed Dundee, believes that Celtic can get the job done on their travels.

That’s despite the French club have recent beaten superstar-studded side Paris Saint-Germain.

As quoted by The Scottish Sun, Stainrod explained: “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.

“PSG have the odd bad result because they play most of their domestic games at 70 per cent. They know they’re going to be good enough to finish top come the end of the season. In that sense, it’s a bit like Manchester City losing to Norwich at the weekend.

“If Celtic play well, I don’t see why they shouldn’t go back with a point. I certainly don’t think they have anything to worry about.”

Can Celtic do the job?

The Hoops’ only points away from home in last season’s group stage came at Rosenborg. That win was absolutely crucial in sending Brendan Rodgers’ team through to the last 32.

This season a big away result will need to be pulled out of the hat again if they are to progress.

The most likely venue for that is in Romania against Cluj, but Celtic shouldn’t be travelling to Rennes with fear this week.

The Scottish champions have the ability to pick up a point and start off their campaign in positive fashion.

Rennes have a number of stars at their disposal, bought for much larger transfer fees than the Hoops can manage, but Lennon has young talents primed to shine on the big stage.

Players such as Odsonne Edouard wouldn’t look out of place in the Rennes squad for example.

It’ll be fascinating to see if the Scottish side can deliver a big performance.