Celtic need to nullify Rennes threat Clement Grenier

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Celtic travel to Rennes on Thursday evening for their opening Europa League group stage match and points in away games are going to be a brilliant bonus.

The Bhoys are preparing for a Rennes team that sit second in Ligue 1 this season and should be confident on their own patch of a victory.

But Neil Lennon’s team are the superior team domestically in Scotland and there challenge is to step up on the European stage.

They certainly have the attacking tools at their disposal to cause serious problems, but they need to get it right defensively and that’s been an issue in the past on the big stage.

The Scottish champions should pick out Rennes talisman Clement Grenier as a main threat that they need to try nullify, as it could go a long way to getting a positive result on Thursday.

Grenier is an ever-present in the Rennes XI that is likely to start in the Europa League and will be looking to dictate play for the hosts.

The 28-year-old is a central midfielder with great technical ability and a range of passing, while he’s decent from set-pieces too.

He will be looking to dominate possession and it could be a log night for Celtic if the Frenchman gets his eye in.

But Celtic have two combative central midfielders in Scott Brown and Callum McGregor, who should retain their spot in the team from the weekend win over Hamilton.

Lennon should deploy the duo in the heart of midfield to try limit Grenier’s influence on the game, which should allow teammates like Odsonne Edouard and James Forrest to strike on the break.