Celtic vs Rennes Predictions

Celtic pulled off a 2-1 victory at Lazio in their last European game to book their place in the next round of the Europa League. The Bhoys are cruising towards top spot in this group, which they can wrap up when they meet Rennes on Thursday night. The Scottish giants are on form following an eight-game winning streak, but can they continue that excellent run when they meet the struggling Ligue 1 side?

The hosts were comfortable 4-0 winners against Livingston at the weekend, while they are hopeful of continuing a European winning streak. The hosts have won their last three group games. The Bhoys kicked things off with a 1-1 draw against Rennes, with that result in the reverse fixture making it three games without defeat for Celtic against the French outfit.

The visitors come into this one 12th in Ligue 1, so they clearly aren’t enjoying the best of seasons. They are in patchy form going into this one, with six defeats in their last eight matches. They are winless in their last seven trips in all competitions, so it isn’t a major surprise Celtic have been priced up as the heavy favourites for this clash.

The visitors also have history against them when they head to Celtic Park. Rennes have lost both their previous away games against Scottish opponents, going down 0-1 against Rangers in 1971 (Cup Winners’ Cup) and 1-3 against Celtic in 2011 (Europa League). The Bhoys have built on that with their draw in the away meeting, adding to the visitors’ struggles in this competition.

Rennes are winless in their last five Europa League matches (D1 L4), losing each of the last three in a row. They’ve lost eight of their last 10 trips in this competition, while they head to meet a Celtic side who have won five of their last six Europa League games. With the hosts winning each of their last eight in all competitions, we think they are set for another win. Celtic to take the points in this clash is therefore our main tip.

We’re also backing a 2-1 victory for the Bhoys this week. The hosts have seen both teams score in four of their last five games in this competition, while they have won 2-1 in back-to-back European games. With Rennes losing by a single goal in their last three European clashes, we are going with a 2-1 home win as our correct score prediction.