Rennes appear to be a genuine crisis club as they prepare to face Celtic on Thursday night.
It’s normally the script on the other side of the city to be facing a club that has just sacked their manager but after losing 2-1 to Dijon on Saturday time may be running out on Julien Stephan.
That result saw Rennes slip into the bottom half of the league table with Neil Lennon preparing his side to be at full pelt on Thursday despite having qualification to the knock-out phase already assured.
Discussing his side Stephan told the Daily Record:
We were very weak in every department. The feeling I have at the moment is one of shame for our position in the league. We have fans who come and support us and we repay them with a performance like that. It’s a big disappointment. Me, the players and the staff should be ashamed of that. It’s a long way from being good enough.
There was a lack of commitment among some of the players and that can never be acceptable. Now we have a big challenge in Scotland in midweek and I will look to see if these players can respond to this defeat.”
Since drawing with Celtic on Matchday One Rennes have lost all of their other group matches. They are in 12th place in the league with five wins from 13 matches.
Wins for Celtic and Lazio over Cluj on Thursday will ensure top spot for Celtic going into the final group match in Romania.
All 12 group winners will be seeded in the knock-out draw meaning that they will face a runner-up or a team dropping down from the Champions League.
