Rennes boss Stephan praises Celtic – Is he playing mind games?

Rennes manager Julien Stephan has showered plenty of praise on Celtic ahead of their Europa League encounter later today, as reported on HITC.

The Hoops travel to France in the first match of the Europa League group stages and it is expected to be a tricky affair for Neil Lennon’s side.

However, Stephan is wary of the threat that Celtic pose and has pointed out some players to keep an eye on. He said:

I do believe that Celtic is also one of the favourites. As far as experience goes, for instance, they should be able to perform well, maybe just behind Lazio.

This is a totally different group from last year. We think it’s a stronger team. They are used to winning their national championship very regularly, every year almost.

It’s a very big team with lots of experience at our level, and they have many international players. They can play in the air and they are very technical, with (Callum) McGregor, (Ryan) Christie, (James) Forrest and (Odsonne) Edouard just to mention a few.

Is he playing mind games or simply being honest?

READ CELTIC VERDICT 

Everything Stephan said is true. The Hoops, on paper, are one of the strongest sides in the competition and the players are also motivated to get as far as possible in the tournament.

Manager Lennon has a depth of talent to call upon but currently has some key players missing with injuries, which could hurt their chances of progression into the knockout stages.

Singling players out like Edouard and Forrest shows that Stephan has been monitoring Celtic closely and that he is quietly worried about the danger that they carry. 

However, Celtic players and fans should not feel content with his comments, this is motivation to prove to him that his comments are actually true by going to France and returning with all three points.