Sports Mole previews Thursday's Europa League clash between Villarreal and Rennes, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Villarreal take on Rennes at the Estadio de la Ceramica on Thursday evening, in their second match in Group F of the Europa League.
The hosts will be looking to bounce back from a loss in their opening game, while the visitors are hoping to make it two wins from two.
Match preview
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Villarreal suffered an unexpected defeat in their first Europa League match, losing 2-0 away at Greek side Panathinaikos, and they deserved to lose on the balance of play, considering they recorded just one shot on target in the entire match.
As such, the Yellow Submarine will be aiming to get back on track in the competition they won back in the 2020-21 season, but their league form does not bode well heading into the game after a poor start to the season.
Former manager Quique Setien lost his job at the beginning of September due to a bad run of results, but Pacheta has not done much better since taking over, with his side now on a run of four games without a win.
The Spanish side are 13th in La Liga, having lost three of their opening four home games, and they struggled on the road at the weekend, drawing 0-0 away at Getafe.
Although there is still a long way to go in the Europa League group stages, Villarreal at least need to avoid defeat to avoid being cut adrift, but they are set to come up against a side in very good form.
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Indeed, Rennes have made a solid start to the Ligue 1 season, currently sitting in fifth place, having gone undefeated in their opening seven league games.
That said, SRFC may be disappointed they have failed to convert some of their draws into wins, as they have shared the spoils in five out of their last six league games, but they got back to winning ways in their last match.
Bruno Genesio's side ran out 3-1 winners against Nantes at Roazhon Park thanks to an impressive performance, and they also got off the mark with a win in their first Europa League game, which means they now sit top of the group.
Last month, Rennes defeated Maccabi Haifa 3-0 at home, dominating the whole match and recording 11 shots on target, while their opponents only mustered up two, so they should be full of confidence heading into Thursday's game.
Villarreal Europa League form:
- L
Villarreal form (all competitions):
- L
- W
- L
- D
- L
- D
Rennes Europa League form:
Rennes form (all competitions):
- D
- D
- D
- W
- D
- W
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Team News
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Villarreal will be without winter Denis Suarez this Thursday, as he is still suffering with a muscle injury sustained in the last Europa League game against Panathinaikos, so Yeremy Pino should keep his place in the side.
Gerard Moreno also remains sidelined, with the 31-year-old absent due to a calf injury, while long-term absentee Francis Coquelin is not available for selection as a result of a knee problem.
As for Rennes, Enzo Le Fee will not be involved, as the midfielder has picked up a shoulder injury, so Nemanja Matic and Benjamin Bourigeaud are the likely choices in the middle of the park, particularly considering the latter scored in the last match.
SRFC's only other absentee is striker Martin Terrier, who has been missing since January with an ACL injury, meaning Bertug Yildirim is poised to lead the line for the visitors, having already scored once in the Europa League this season.
Villarreal possible starting lineup:
Jorgensen; Foyth, Albiol, Gabbia, Pedraza; Pino, Parejo, Capoue, Baena; Morales, Sorloth
Rennes possible starting lineup:
Mandanda; Assignon, Omari, Theate, Truffert; Bourigeaud, Matic, Blas, Doue, Gouiri; Yildirim
We say: Villarreal 1-1 Rennes
Villarreal have made a very poor start to the season, but they have recent experience of winning the Europa League, while home advantage could also be an important factor.
Given that Rennes have made a habit of drawing games so far this season, we expect the spoils to be shared on Thursday night.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 3.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Under 3.5:data
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