After doing most of the heavy lifting in the first leg, Milan head to Roazhon Park to finish the job in their Europa League knockout playoff tie against Rennes. Stefano Pioli’s side thumped the French outfit 3-0 at Stadio San Siro last week to put one foot in the competition’s round of 16.
It’ll take something special from Rennes to dispatch Milan following a first-leg fiasco in Italy. Valencia remain the only side in Europa League history to overturn a 3-0 first-leg deficit, doing so against Basel in 2013/14. But though Julien Stephan’s men have a mountain to climb, they won’t lack confidence.
Rennes bounced back from the abovementioned hammering at San Siro with a comprehensive 3-1 home win against Ligue 1 strugglers Clermont at the weekend. Indeed, the loss to Milan remains the only blemish on Les Rennais’ otherwise near-flawless competitive record in the new calendar year (W8).
Unlike Rennes, Milan stuttered in domestic action at the weekend. Pioli’s tactical alterations failed to pay dividends as Monza thumped Rossoneri 4-2 at Stadio Brianteo on Sunday. That defeat effectively ruled the 19-time Serie A champions out of the Scudetto race, widening the gap between them and top-placed Inter to 11 points.
Going two consecutive seasons without a title is unacceptable for a club of Milan’s stature. Since they’re already out of the Coppa Italia, the only piece of continental silverware missing from Rossoneri’s glittering trophy cabinet is also the only honor they can land this term.
Match Preview
Rennes
Since Rennes need nothing short of a magic stick to turn this tie on its head, they’d welcome any encouragement they can get. Some comfort comes from fending off Italian opposition in their last two home encounters in the Europa League (W1, D1). But the rest is mostly doom and gloom.
Not only did Rennes go down 3-2 to Villarreal in their last Europa League outing at Roazhon Park, but they’ve not claimed a home victory convincing enough to overhaul this deficit since August 2023. Stephan’s side must score at least three goals to take the tie into extra time.
Worryingly enough, that’s the feat they’ve only managed once in their last six home league matches. More concerning is the fact they’ve only kept one clean sheet during that sequence.
Milan
Squandering such a commanding lead would probably spell the end of Pioli’s tenure, especially after his tactical experiment backfired on Milan’s Serie A title hopes. Nonetheless, connoisseurs of action-packed football will look forward to this showdown, considering Rossoneri’s habit of playing out goal-glutted contests on the road.
Seven of their last nine competitive away matches have seen both sides scoring at least twice, highlighting the potential for a high-scoring fixture. There’s no doubt Milan would prefer a more conservative approach after a scintillating first-leg performance. However, their backline has proved unable to keep a clean sheet outside San Siro.
Milan have conceded multiple goals on eight of their last ten travels, casting significant doubt on their bid to thwart Rennes’ free-flowing frontline. That’s particularly concerning when considering they’ve drawn a blank in four of their last six away outings in UEFA competitions (W1, D3, L2).
Team News
Enzo Le Fee, Aboubakar Nagida, and Fabian Rieder are unavailable for selection due to injury problems. Despite Rennes’ desperate need for goals, Arnaud Kalimuendo is more likely to start on the bench, with Milan-linked Amine Gouiri tipped to take his place in the front third.
As for Milan, Davide Calabria, Mattia Caldara, and Tommaso Pobega are the only absentees in the traveling camp. Unlike the game against Monza, Pioli will turn to his first-team stalwarts in France, with Olivier Giroud, Christian Pulisic, and Rafael Leao expected to return to the starting XI.
Rennes vs Milan Potential Lineups
Rennes (4-4-2): Steve Mandanda; Guela Doue, Warmed Omari, Arthur Theate, Adrien Truffert; Benjamin Bourigeaud, Azor Matusiwa, Baptiste Santamaria, Desire Doue; Amine Gouiri, Martin Terrier.
Milan (4-2-3-1): Mike Maignan; Alessandro Florenzi, Simon Kjaer, Matteo Gabbia, Theo Hernandez; Tijjani Reijnders, Yacine Adli; Christian Pulisic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Rafael Leao; Olivier Giroud.
Rennes vs Milan Prediction
While Milan’s qualification for the next knockout round should be beyond question, whether they can win on French soil remains doubtful. We expect the Italians to hold Rennes to a scoring draw and get the deal over the line.
Prediction: Draw
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