Celtic manager Neil Lennon will welcome the chance to step out of the domestic pressure-cooker this midweek as the Scottish Premier League side head to France to face Rennes in the Europa League.
Lennon’s future appeared to be at serious risk halfway through Saturday’s SPL game against Kilmarnock with the Hoops trailing 3-0.
However, a rousing second-half fightback earned them a 3-3 draw, and that result coupled with a draw for Rangers kept Celtic within ten points of their bitter rivals with a game in hand, and probably just kept Lennon in a job, for now.
Now Celtic head to Brittany looking for their first win in Group I against Rennes who, like them, have also managed just one point from two group games.
The Breton side have been beaten just once in their last seven domestic matches, though, and their in-form attack — in which Burkina Faso winger Jonathan Pitroipa is the star attraction — will fancy their chances against a porous Celtic defence.
“After ten games it’s not easy, we lost three or four games but I think we can come back in a good way,” said Celtic’s Israeli international midfielder Beram Kayal of his team’s domestic ills.
“What is important is about the winning the next game. We have a lot of games left in the season but we must just focus on the next game.”
COMMENTS