Celtic could be given a huge boost ahead of their Europa League group stage opener with Rennes on Thursday, amid concerns over Mbaye Niang’s fitness, and his absence would certainly be a positive for the Hoops.

According to Football Scotland, the Ligue 1 side will monitor the striker’s fitness in training ahead of Thursday’s tie after he missed their draw with Brest last weekend, with manager Julien Stephan revealing he is suffering with a knee problem.

Mbaye got a blow to his knee on training this week and that was enough to keep him out of the game. As for Celtic, it’s just a case of monitoring him on a day-to-day basis to see if he has a chance of being fit for the match this week.

So why would his absence be a boost for Celtic?

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Niang was Rennes’ top scorer in Ligue 1 last season with 11 goals in 29 appearances during his loan from Torino, and the Ligue 1 side’s new permanent striker has already scored twice in four appearances this campaign; one of which came in the 2-1 win over Paris Saint-Germain.

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The Senegal international is a key figure for Rennes and his absence would certainly bolster Celtic’s chances of getting a positive result on Thursday, should he be ruled out of the tie. 

Niang would add to a growing injury list for the Ligue 1 outfit, with both Gerzino Nyamsi and Metehan Guclu ruled out of the Europa League opened against the Hoops.