Rennes will kickoff their UEFA Europa League campaign on Thursday when they play host to Maccabi Haifa in their Group F opener at Roazhon Park. The hosts earned a spot in the group stage of Europe’s second tier club competition courtesy of securing a fourth place finish in the Ligue 1 standings last term, while the Greens lost out to Young Boys in the Champions League playoff last month and thereby had to settle for this tournament. Meanwhile, both sides are heading into the match on the back of not-so-great results in their league outings at the weekend, with Les Rennais playing out a 2-2 draw against Lille in the French top flight, while the visitors suffered a 3-2 Israeli Premier League-defeat away to Maccabi Petah Tikva.
L’Europe est de retour jeudi ! 🔥
Dernières places disponibles pour la réception du Maccabi Haïfa en @EuropaLeague. ⌛️#ToutDonner
— Stade Rennais F.C. (@staderennais) September 18, 2023
Rennes have made an unbeaten start to their 2023-24 Ligue 1 campaign, recording one win and four draws from their opening five league-games so far. Les Rennais fought back from two goals down to earn a point against Lille last time out thanks to Lorenz Assignon’s 74th-minute effort and Ibrahim Salah’s dramatic equaliser one minute from time. Bruno Genesio’s side are playing an attacking brand of football, having scored ten top flight goals thus far, and only one team in the Ligue 1 have a better goal-scoring record. Last season, the Red and Blacks managed an undefeated group-stage in the Europa League, but they ended up getting eliminated in the first knockout round.
Maccabi Haifa, on the other hand, kicked off their Israeli Premier League-title defence with a 2-1 win over Hapoel Jerusalem on September 3, but then lost a five-goal thriller against Maccabi Petach-Tikva on Sunday, despite the fact that Lior Refaelov and Dia Saba got on the scoresheet. Meanwhile, prior to the start of their league-campaign, the Greens suffered a 3-0 aggregate defeat to Young Boys in the Champions League playoff towards the end of last month. Having failed to earn a spot in the group stage of Europe’s elite club football competition, Messay Dego’s men will be desperate to start their Europa League campaign on a positive note.
Probable Lineups
Rennes probable starting lineup: Mandanda, Assignon, Omari, Theate, Truffert, Bourigeaud, Matic, Le Fee, Blas, Kalimuendo, Gouiri
Maccabi Haifa probable starting lineup: Nitzan, Sundgren, Seck, Goldberg, Cornud, Jaber, Mohamed, Chery, Saba, Pierrot, David
Form Guide
Rennes
| Opponents | Score |
| Lille | 2-2 (D) |
| Brest | 0-0 (D) |
| Le Havre | 2-2 (D) |
| Lens | 1-1 (D) |
| Metz | 5-1 (W) |
Maccabi Haifa
| Opponents | Score |
| Maccabi Petah Tikva | 3-2 (L) |
| Hapoel Jerusalem | 1-2 (W) |
| Young Boys | 3-0 (L) |
| Young Boys | 0-0 (D) |
| Mavvabi Petah Tikva | 0-2 (W) |
Rennes vs Maccabi Haifa Live Schedule and Fixture
The UEFA Europa League fixture between Rennes and Maccabi Haifa will take place at Roazhon Park on Thursday at 10:15 pm IST.
| Rennes vs Maccabi Haifa | Key Details |
| Date | September 21 |
| Venue | Roazhon Park |
| Kickoff time in France | 6:45 pm |
| Kickoff time in Israel | 7:45 pm |
| Kickoff time in India | 10:15 pm |
Where to watch Rennes vs Maccabi Haifa ?
Football fans in France can catch the match on RMC Sport network. Meanwhile, those in Israel can catch the live action via Sport 4.
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