Rennes vs Lazio: Match Preview, Expected Lineups & Prediction

Rennes vs Lazio: Match Preview

Rennes hosts Lazio at the Roazhon Park in Matchday 6 of the 2019/20 UEFA Europa League.

In Matchday 5 of the competition, Simone Inzaghi’s side defeated CFR Cluj 1-0 in Rome while Julien Stéphan’s team lost 3-1 to Celtic in Glasgow.

Looking at both squads in their respective domestic competitions, the Biancocelesti sit in third in the Serie A with a record of 10W-3D-2L, while the Rouges et Noirs sit in fourth in Ligue 1 with a record of 8W-3D-5L.

In Group E, Celtic currently sits at the top of the table with 13 points, CFR Cluj sits in second with 9 points, Lazio sits in third with 6 points, and Stade Rennais sits at the bottom of the table with 1 point.

The Scottish club has already clinched their spot in the Round of 32 while the second spot is still up for grabs. A draw against Celtic would be all the Romanian side needs to guarantee their progression; Lazio must defeat the French side and hope CFR Cluj fails to secure any points to move on.

Rennes vs Lazio: Expected Lineups

Simone Inzaghi, Source- Taiwan News
Simone Inzaghi, Source- Taiwan News

Lazio (3-5-2): Proto; Acerbi, Vavro, Bastos; Jony, Luis Alberto, Cataldi, Parolo, Lazzari; Caicedo, Immobile.

Julien Stéphan, Source- la-croix.com

Rennes (5-3-2): Mendy; Traore, Da Silva, Gelin, Gnagnon, Maouassa; Martin, Grenier, Bourigeuad; Raphinha, Niang.

Rennes vs Lazio: Prediction

Lazio enters their match against Rennes after they defeated Juventus 3-1 in Matchday 15 of Serie A. Luiz Felipe, Sergej Milinikovic-Savic and Felipe Caicedo each scored to help the Biancocelesti win in an entertaining match and pick up a key victory at the Stadio Olimpico. Inzaghi’s side has been in good form recently; they have won their past five matches since losing to Celtic in Matchday 3 of the UEFA Europa League. However, with the club chances of advancing out of the group stage being slim, expect Simone Inzaghi to consider starting a different line up compared to this weekend against Juventus. Stefan Radu returned from injury this weekend; Adam Marusic and Jordan Lukaku are still dealing with injuries while Patric has been listed as questionable for this match. As a result, Inzaghi may be forced to have Lazzari play in this match.

Rennes, on the other hand, continue to have a great start to their season. The French side currently finds themselves sitting in fourth place in Ligue 1 behind Paris Saint-Germain, Marseille and Lille OSC. While their season has been good, the UEFA Europa League has not been as kind to the Rouges et Noirs. The French club is eliminated from advancing to the Round of 32, yet to win a match, as they have lost four matches and tied one.

There are high stakes in this match, as Lazio will look to avoid losing their match and will hope to advance to the Round of 32 with some added assistance. As for Rennes, they will be looking to play as spoilers in this match.

Prediction: Rennes 0-1 Lazio

Tags Biancocelesti Denis Vavro Julien Stéphan Lazio Ligue 1 Rennes Roazhon Park Rouges et Noirs Serie A Simone Inzaghi Stade Rennais UEFA Europa League Vavro