Rennes and Tottenham meet for Europa Conference League opener
Stade Rennais vs Tottenham - 16/09/2021
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Stade Rennais welcome Tottenham Hotspur to Roazhon Park on Thursday as the all-new UEFA Europa Conference League gets underway.
The two teams are competing in Group G, alongside Dutch club Vitesse Arnhem and Slovenian minnows NS Mura.
Spurs are the bookies’ favorites to lift the inaugural trophy, although Rennes are also among the frontrunners to win the tournament.
Tottenham made a hugely impressive start to the 2021/22 campaign, securing three straight 1-0 wins in the Premier League.
On Saturday, however, Nuno’s men were humiliated by Crystal Palace – suffering a 3-0 defeat at Selhurst Park.
Spurs also lost the first leg of their Europa Conference League qualifier, going down 1-0 to Portuguese outfit Ferreira.
Nevertheless, they managed to bounce back and win the second leg 3-0 on home soil, with talisman Harry Kane bagging brace.
Although the Nuno era has begun with more positives than negatives, Saturday’s humiliation at the hands of the Eagles is a cause for concern.
It’s safe to say the Rennes found life a lot easier when it came to qualifying for the Europa Conference League.
The French side sealed an impressive 5-1 aggregative triumph over Rosenborg, building on a solid start to the season.
Rennes enjoyed a five-match unbeaten streak at the beginning of the campaign, picking up three wins and two draws in all competitions.
However, they have since suffered two straight defeats in Ligue 1 – losing to both Angers and Reims 2-0.
Despite notching nine shots while seeing 64% of the ball on Sunday, Rennes suffered a disappointing home loss last time out.
As a result, they have slipped into the bottom half of the Ligue 1 table, having taken just five points from a possible 15.
Head-to-head: There are no previous results to assess for this fixture, as this is the first meeting between Rennes and Tottenham.
Team news: Rennes could be without as many as four first-time players on Thursday, with Alfred Gomis, Dogan Alemdar, Jeremy Doku and Jeremy Gelin currently on the sidelines.
Tottenham could be without Eric Dier after he hobbled off in the 3-0 loss to Palace, while Son Heung-min missed Saturday’s game altogether.
South American trio Cristian Romero, Giovan Lo Celso and Davinson Sanchez are also doubts due to quarantine regulations.
Tottenham boss Nuno is expected to field somewhat of a second-string starting XI on Thursday, giving Rennes an advantage.
For that reason, Forebet predicts that Rennes will edge out Spurs – notching a low-scoring victory on home soil.
Home team
Away team
Pred
Correct score
Avg. goals
Weather conditions
Coef.
Score
Live
coef.
ECL
423226
1
1 - 0
1.88
18°
2 - 2(1 - 1)
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