Preview: Rennes vs. Maccabi Haifa - prediction, team news, lineups

Rennes kick-start their Europa League campaign when they host Maccabi Haifa in the first match of their group stage on Thursday evening.

The visitors head into this match having already played in Europe this season, failing to qualify for the Champions League, which they will now be looking to put behind them.

Match preview

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Rennes have made an undefeated start to the 2023-24 campaign in Ligue 1, which is something that should create plenty of confidence in the group heading into this match.

The hosts have only managed to win one of those five matches, though, drawing all of the others which is something that has proven that they are difficult to break down as a team.

Bruno Genesio has got his team playing high-quality attacking football so far, with only one team in Ligue 1 having scored more goals than them, which is something that could prove to be a major advantage for them heading into this fixture.

Last season Rennes managed an undefeated group-stage campaign in the Europa League, however, they ended up being knocked out in the next round.

That gives Genesio's team plenty of scope to improve upon this time around, but first they will need to progress from Group F, which also features Villarreal and Panathinaikos.

The visitors have played fewer games so far this season than their opponents, which could be an advantage in terms of freshness when it comes to this match.

However, Maccabi Haifa have only picked up one victory in their past four games in all competitions, which included their attempts to qualify for the Champions League.

Messay Dego's men were not able to overcome Young Boys back in August, losing out 3-0 over the course of two legs which has left the team in the Europa League instead.

Despite their lack of goals across those two matches the team have had no problem finding the back of the net in the Israeli Premier League, scoring four times across the opening two fixtures.

The defensive side of their game is a cause for concern though which was clear last weekend when they lost 3-2, conceding in the 96th minute to drop all the points which they will now want to put behind them.

Team News

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The experience of Nemanja Matic is something that Rennes will likely tap into for this fixture, as he has a lot of European experience to bring to the heart of the midfield on Thursday.

Rennes will likely be without Martin Terrier once again as he continues to rehabilitate from a knee injury that has kept him on the sidelines since January.

Meanwhile, Ibrahim Salah will be hoping to earn a place from the first minute this time around after scoring as a substitute from the bench last weekend.

Dean David is expected to lead the line for the visitors as he continues to open his account for this season.

A 4-1-4-1 formation is likely to be used by Maccabi Haifa as they attempt to provide a balance between their attacking and defensive side of the game.

Rennes possible starting lineup:

Mandanda; Assignon, Omari, Theate, Truffert; Bourigeaud, Matic, Le Fee; Blas, Kalimuendo, Gouiri

Maccabi Haifa possible starting lineup:

Nitzan; Sundgren, Seck, Goldberg, Cornud; Jaber, Mohamed, Chery; Saba, Pierrot, David

We say: Rennes 2-0 Maccabi Haifa

Rennes have made an impressive start to the new season, and taking that recent form into this fixture does make them the favourites heading into it.

Having the home advantage and their attacking qualities should allow them to cause plenty of problems for the visitors.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.