Preview: Stade Rennais v Celtic: Pinault’s money reigns in Rennes

he French club, who will host Neil Lennon’s side on Thursday, do not have the same footballing pizazz or pedigree as Spain’s Atletico Madrid or Italian side Udinese.

But when Rennes’ owner Francois-Henri Pinault just happens to have been bequeathed the running of a business portfolio from his father Francois that includes the Gucci Group and Christies... and just happens to be married to Hollywood actress Salma Hayek, then the club can hardly to be said to be lacking a certain sparkle.

Hayek, a naturalised US citizen who was born and raised in Mexico, has a profile that is a little different from the hubby’s playing squad presently progressing a club that lie seventh in the French league, five points behind leaders Paris Saint-Germain. Rennes have a Gallic bedrock but there is a strong African influence in their team.

Not that the Americas, from where Hayek hails are entirely unrepresented. The munificence of the Pinault family, who in 2003 bought a club managed by Scot Philip McCloy 70 years earlier, allowed Rennes to send ¤6.5 million (£5.7m) to Montpellier last summer to acquire Colombian striker Victor Montano.

A club with a 31,000-capacity stadium and an average gate of 23,000, manager Frederic Antonetti knows where his bread is buttered when it comes to the jam-on-top purchasing power the club possess. Only two months ago he was moved to acknowledge the importance of the Pinault family’s bankrolling in allowing his Brittany club, who have never won the French league title, to be a player in the right end of the country’s top tier.

“We are lucky to have Mr Pinault and his son who are backing the club and who can give a hand if needed,” he said. “If it wasn’t for Mr Pinault and his son, today, Rennes would be a very average club from the French league, which is 12th or 13th since it matches the size of Rennes as a city. The fact that we have owners who love the club make that at some point, we can gain seven or eight positions.”

It would be wrong to present Rennes as a bought team, however. Although they have on their roster a Senegalese defender as captain in the form of Kader Mangane and a mainly African strikeforce with Moroccan Youssef Hadji – brought from Mustapha who returned for a second spell in the last transfer window – Jires Kembo-Ekoko, from Congo, Togan Razak Boukari, and Jonathan Pitroipa of Burkina Faso, they are achieving great renown for their youth academy.

Formed in 2000, it has been recognised by the French Football Federation as unrivalled in the country, and in the past three seasons has been ranked first. Those who have passed through it and gone on to become household names internationally include Sylvain Wiltord and Youann Gourcuff. And right now the club is benefiting from the services of a 21-year-old youth product who career is expected to eclipse those whose footsteps in which he is following.

Midfielder Yann M’Vila is already a regular in the French international set-up. With 14 caps he has already represented Les Bleus more than any other serving Rennes player in the club’s history. Arsenal have been chipping away at the club in the hope of signing him with Liverpool and Roma also lying in wait for the moment that there are signs Rennes are ready to cash in on their prize asset. He has been described as the team’s “third” captain and has become “the barometer of the Stade Rennais when he shines or slumps”. Basically, then, he is the player who makes them tick. M’Vila’s development has earned him lavish praise from many, not least French World Cup-winning captain Didier Deschamp, now coach at Marseilles.

“He has the understanding of Claude Makele, the impact power of Patrick Vieira and the passing ability of Yaya Toure,” Deschamps said of M’Vila. Once of Juventus, the 42-year-old described the youngster as a “regista” – an Italian term for a midfielder who is neither a defensive holder nor an attacking performer in the middle of the park but who operates inbetween to build the first phase of play.

Rennes have not been above rotating their team for their European excursions this season and M’Vila was held on the bench until late on in their 1-1 draw at home to Atletico in their last Europa League group encounter. That night they looked on course for three points until an early Montano strike was cancelled out with ten minutes remaining.

The draw followed an impressive display in Udinese wherein they pushed the Italians all the way in losing by a single goal.

Rennes earned their place in the group stages of the competition in free-scoring fashion. In the third qualifying round they recorded a 7-2 aggregate win over Georgian side Metalurgi Rustavi, that comprehensive success underpinned by a 5-2 win in Eastern Europe. They followed that up with a 6-2 aggregate victory over Red Star Belgrade, beating the Serbians home and away, with a second leg 4-0 win. Montano, as he had been in the previous round, was again on target and has now found the net four times in Europe this season.

The Celtic defence, so porous away from home in continental competition, will have to demonstrate hitherto unseen qualities to cast aside their sieve-like reputation this week.