Villarreal is set to face Rennes in an exciting Europa League match at the Estadio de la Ceramica.
Match Preview
This will be Villarreal’s second game in Group F, and they will be looking to recover from a loss in their opening match. On the other hand, Rennes aims to make it two wins in a row.
In their previous Europa League game, Villarreal suffered a surprising 2-0 defeat against Panathinaikos.
They had a lackluster performance, managing only one shot on target throughout the match.
The Yellow Submarine, who won the competition in the 2020-21 season, is determined to get back on track.
However, their league form has been disappointing, with four consecutive winless games under their new manager Pacheta.
Currently sitting at 13th place in La Liga, Villarreal needs a positive result to avoid falling behind in the Europa League group stages.
Rennes, on the other hand, has had a solid start to the Ligue 1 season, remaining undefeated in their first seven league games.
Although they have drawn five out of their last six matches, they returned to winning ways in their most recent game against Nantes, securing a 3-1 victory.
Additionally, Rennes started their Europa League campaign with a win, defeating Maccabi Haifa 3-0 at home.
Their strong form sees them sitting at the top of the group, and they will enter the match with confidence after dominating their previous opponent.
Team news
Villarreal will be without Denis Suarez due to a muscle injury sustained in the last Europa League game. Gerard Moreno and Francis Coquelin are also unavailable due to injury.
Rennes will miss Enzo Le Fee, who has a shoulder injury, and Martin Terrier, who has been out since January with an ACL injury.
Possible Starting Lineups:
Villarreal:
Jorgensen;
Foyth, Albiol, Gabbia, Pedraza;
Pino, Parejo, Capoue, Baena;
Morales, Sorloth
Rennes:
Mandanda;
Assignon, Omari, Theate, Truffert;
Bourigeaud, Matic, Blas, Doue, Gouiri;
Yildirim
Prediction:
Despite Villarreal’s poor start to the season, their past success in the Europa League and the advantage of playing at home could work in their favor.
Given Rennes’ tendency to draw matches this season, a draw seems likely in this encounter.
- Our prediction: Villarreal 1-1 Rennes