Villareal will host French side Rennes in the second game of their Europa League campaign. The visitors want to win their second straight. The hosts are seeking to rebound from a setback in their first game.
Preview (Villarreal vs. Rennes)
Villarreal lost unexpectedly to Greek team Panathinaikos in their first Europa League encounter, 2-0. They deserved to lose because they only had one shot on goal the entire game. The Yellow Submarine will therefore be looking to get back on track in the competition they won back in the 2020–21 season. Their league form does not look promising going into the match following a terrible start to the season. Quique Setien was fired at the beginning of September as a result of a string of poor performances. Pacheta hasn’t fared much better since taking over, with his team currently going four games without a victory.
The Spanish team battled on the road last weekend, drawing 0-0 at Getafe. They currently sit in 13th place in La Liga after losing three of their first four home games. Villarreal will face a team in excellent form. Despite the fact that there is still a long way to go in the Europa League group stages. They must at least avoid losing to keep themselves afloat. Rennes has had a strong start to the Ligue 1 season and is now in fifth place. They won all seven of their league games.
The team led the group after beating Nantes 3-1 at Roazhon Park on the strength of a strong performance and their first victory in the Europa League. Bruno Genesio’s team is now in first place. Rennes should be confident going into Thursday’s meeting after defeating Maccabi Haifa 3-0. They dominated the whole game and got 11 shots on goal to their opponents’ two.
Team News
Denis Suarez will miss this Thursday’s Europa League match against Panathinaikos for Villarreal due to a muscle injury he acquired in that match. Yeremy Pino should continue to start in his place. The 31-year-old Gerard Moreno is still out with a calf ailment, and long-term absentee Francis Coquelin is also out for selection owing to a knee issue. Due to a shoulder injury, Enzo Le Fee will not play for Rennes. Nemanja Matic and Benjamin Bourigeaud are therefore plausible candidates to start in that position, especially given that Bourigeaud scored in the most recent game.
Bertug Yildirim, who has already scored in the Europa League this year, is set to lead the line for the visitors since Martin Terrier, SRFC’s only other absentee, has been out since January with an ACL injury. Villarreal has had a terrible start to the season, but they have recently won the Europa League, and home-field advantage may potentially play a significant role. We anticipate the rewards to be shared on Thursday night because Rennes has a history of drawing games so far this season.
Villareal 1 – 1 Rennes
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