Rennes vs Milan UEL Odds & Preview
Milan Hold Three-Goal Advantage
Rennes With Nothing to Lose
Rennes have a three-goal deficit to overturn when they host AC Milan in the Europa League knockout Play-off on Thursday. Last week’s loss at Milan was Rennes’ first for over two months.
Julien Stephan’s men will put it all on the line here, while Milan should be able to coast into the round of 16, barring disaster. We’ll run through the Rennes vs Milan UEL odds and cover the latest team news prior to the match.
Rennes vs AC Milan
Day/Time:
Location: Roazhon Park, Rennes, France
Rennes vs AC Milan Head-to-Head
Rennes and AC Milan met for the first time last week in the first leg of the Europa League knockout playoff. Ruben Loftus-Cheek scored twice in AC Milan’s 3-0 victory at the San Siro. It was all Milan, as they had opportunities to widen the gap even after going up 3-0. The pregame Rennes vs Milan UEL odds priced hosts Milan as -150 favorites.
Rennes in Unenviable Position
Rennes extended their Ligue 1 winning streak to six games when they defeated Clermont 3-1 on Sunday. Warmed Omari scored his first-ever Ligue 1 goal to give Rennes the lead in the 31st minute.
Martin Terrier doubled Rennes’ lead in the second half, but Clermont managed to pull one back. Terrier scored his second of the match and sealed Rennes’ victory in the 64th minute. Julien Stephan made five changes from the 3-0 loss to AC Milan, and Rennes rose to the occasion.
Even though Clermont are the last-placed team in Ligue 1, it was still a solid bounce back by Rennes. Last week, Rennes didn’t look like they belonged on the same pitch as AC Milan.
They didn’t put up much of a fight in the 3-0 loss, which could have gotten even uglier. Rennes have now lost their last two Europa League matches, and they have a mountain to climb on Thursday. If Rennes go all out too early on in Thursday’s match, they risk exposing themselves to counter attacks.
So, expect Stephan to play it pragmatically on Thursday. Rennes have six players who have scored at least five goals this season, in all competitions. Arnaud Kalimuendo leads the pack, with 10.
Patience will be a virtue for them on Thursday and they’ll need to pick their spots to have any chance of turning this fixture around. Rennes will be missing midfielders Enzo Le Fee and Fabian Rieder for this one.
Milan Fall to Monza
AC Milan’s local derby at Monza on Sunday did not at all go according to plan. After Thursday’s triumph vs Rennes Stefano Pioli decided to start stars like Olivier Giroud, Rafael Leao, Christian Pulisic and Tijjani Reijnders on the bench. In total, Pioli made six changes from the 3-0 win over Rennes.
Monza got out to a two-goal lead before halftime and it was a deserved one. Pioli made three substitutions at halftime but his plan was somewhat foiled by Luka Jovic’s red card.
Still, goals from Giroud and Pulisic brought Milan right back into the match. However, they conceded two late goals and fell 4-2. It was the first time Monza have ever scored four goals or more in a Serie A match.
Milan will need to shore up on defense come Thursday if they want to cruise into the Europa League round of 16. The Rossoneri started off the season in the UCL but finished third in the Group F UEFA Champions League table.
They’re now among the favorites to win the Europa League and their three goal cushion is the largest any team has heading into Thursday’s second legs. Davide Calabria, Tommaso Pobega, Pierre Kalulu and Fikayo Tomori are still out injured but Milan have more than enough to get over the line here.
With a big match vs Atalanta on Sunday, it’ll be interesting to see if Pioli goes with a lineup composed mostly of reserves here.
Rennes vs AC Milan Match Analysis & Odds
Both teams have massive league games following Thursday’s Europa League Play-off. Rennes head to PSG in Ligue 1, while AC Milan host Atalanta. Milan’s spot in the Serie A top four is relatively secure but they can’t exactly afford to lose Sunday.
So, Pioli will have to make some big decisions about how many minutes his key guys will get on Thursday. Ideally, he’ll give his key guys run in the first half on Thursday and if Milan are in a favorable position, he could rest them for the second half.
Currently, the Rennes vs Milan UEL odds price hosts Rennes as +160 favorites in what’s likely to be a close game. Milan (+170) are underdogs and they’d likely be thrilled with a draw (+245) here, as they hold a three-goal advantage. With that advantage, Milan show -4000 Europa League odds to qualify for the UEL round of 16. They’ll need to keep their composure and make sure not to fall behind early in this one.
If Rennes get an early goal, it’ll give them hope and they’ll have the backing of the home crowd behind them. They did score over two goals per game in the group stage Europa League stats after all.
Plus, they have a number of attacking weapons and Stephan will throw more and more numbers forward as the game goes on. Still, not much scoring is expected in this one, as under 2.5 goals are priced at -120 odds.
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