A week after a dramatic 2-1 victory for Rennes on matchday three at the Europa League, Dynamo Kiev will have an opportunity for some payback when they host the Ligue 1 side at Marshal Jozef Pilsudski Stadium on Thursday.
The Ukrainians are one of five clubs in this competition who have yet to earn a point in the group stage, while Stade Rennais are tied for first in Group B alongside Fenerbahce with seven points.
Match preview
© Reuters
Since September, it has been a tale of two seasons for the 16-time Ukrainian champions, who have played exceptionally well domestically but continue to struggle in European competitions.
Over the weekend, Mircea Lucescu saw his side claim a third consecutive shutout in league play, defeating Rukh Vynnyky 3-0 for their third straight domestic triumph, outscoring their opponents 5-0 over that span.
Things have not gone quite as smoothly for Bilo-syni in this competition though, conceding five times so far, losing all three of their fixtures by a single goal, and a defeat this week would eliminate them from this tournament.
Kiev have won each of their last two home fixtures against French opponents, previously defeating Guingamp (2014-15) and Stade Rennais (2018-19) at the Europa League, and capturing two of their last three home outings in all competitions.
Of their five goals conceded in the group stage thus far, two have come within the opening 20 minutes, while another two took place with fewer than five minutes remaining, when they were positioned to earn a point versus Fenerbahce and Rennes but wound up losing both contests 2-1.
Heading into this encounter on Thursday, Dynamo Kiev have lost their last five matches played in all European competitions.
Another defeat on Thursday would equal their longest such run of losses in Europe, dating back to 2007 when they dropped six straight in between September and December of that year.
© Reuters
At the moment, Rennes can virtually do no wrong, defeating Nantes 3-0 in league play on Sunday, extending its unbeaten run to nine consecutive matches in all competitions.
Bruno Genesio's men have scored multiple goals in every one of their matches played this month, notching a total of eight in their last three encounters.
They are getting contributions from various sources in the Europa League, with five players finding the back of the net for them in three group games.
Rennes are currently the third-highest-scoring team in Ligue 1, with 20 goals after 10 domestic encounters this season, and they have not been shut out of a league game since their opening loss to Lorient (1-0).
Les Rouge et Noir have never won an away match versus Ukrainian opponents, losing 2-1 to Kiev in this tournament's 2018-19 group stage and falling 1-0 against Tavriya Simferopol at the 2008 Intertoto Cup.
Lately, though, this team have been much better on the road in European competitions, winning four of their last five away games played in Europe, while none of their previous 29 competitive European fixtures has ended in a draw.
Rennes have never trailed at the interval in any of their three group stage games played in the Europa League so far this year.
They have scored first in all three of their group fixtures, winning two matches thanks to late strikes in the 94th and 89th minute respectively, defeating AEK Larnaca (2-1) and Dynamo Kiev.
Team News
© Reuters
Kiev goalkeeper Denys Boyko collected his third successive clean sheet domestically this weekend, as Vitaliy Buyalskyi had a brace, while Oleksandr Tymchyk also scored in their victory on Sunday.
Viktor Tsyhankov equalised 10 minutes after his side had conceded the opening goal to Rennes last week, as he is the lone Dynamo player to score for them (twice) so far in the Europa League.
There were three changes to their starting 11 from matchday two to three as Denys Popov, Volodymyr Shepelyev and Artem Besedin replaced Oleksandr Syrota, Oleksandr Andriyevskyi and Denys Harmash.
On Sunday, Rennes striker Amine Gouiri scored his 25th career goal in Ligue 1, becoming the first French player born in 2000 or later to reach that mark in the five major European leagues.
Steve Mandanda collected a clean sheet in that outing, stopping three Nantes efforts, while Martin Terrier and Desire Doue, who both scored on matchday three in the Europa League, also found the back of the net domestically on Sunday.
Warmed Omari is nearing a return from his groin problem, Baptiste Santamaria is out until early January because of an ankle injury and Jeremy Doku should be available by the end of this month as he is currently dealing with a sore thigh.
Dynamo Kiev possible starting lineup:
Boyko; Dubinchak, Vivcharenko, Zabarnyi, Kedziora; Shepelyev, Sydorchuk; Kabayev, Buyalskyi, Tsyhankov; Vanat
Rennes possible starting lineup:
Mandanda; Assignon, Rodon, Theate, Meling; Majer, D. Doue, Bourigeaud; Kalimuendo, Gouiri, Terrier
We say: Dynamo Kiev 0-1 Rennes
At the moment, Rennes are playing their best football of the campaign and scoring goals regularly, while also looking a lot like the team that tallied the second-most times in Ligue 1 (82) a season ago.
On the other side, Kiev have been solid defensively at home lately, so we do not expect Les Rennais to have many chances. However, given the French side's form and quality at the moment, it might not take much for them to find the back of the net.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joel Lefevre
