Juventus v Rennes: Europa League preview, predicted line-ups & team news
Juventus top the Europa League table after two wins, while Rennes arrive in Turin on four points. Here are the team news, likely line-ups, TV details and our prediction.
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What is at stake in Turin?
The Europa League's new league phase has a habit of making early results look bigger than they are, and Juventus are enjoying one of those moments.
They sit top of the table after two games with six points and a goal difference of plus six.
The top eight go straight into the last 16, so every win this early is a step towards avoiding the play-offs in February.
Rennes are 13th on four points, which is comfortably inside the play-off places but a long way from the automatic spots.
A win here would lift them right into the conversation. A defeat would remind them how thin the margins are in a table this tightly packed.
Juventus
RennesHow did they get here?
Juventus have won both of their games, and they have not been shy about it.
They beat NEC Nijmegen 5-0 at home on matchday one, then won 2-1 at Celta Vigo last week.
Rennes have been steadier than spectacular.
They drew 0-0 at Sturm Graz on matchday one, then beat OFI 2-1 at home last Thursday, with both of those goals arriving in the final 15 minutes.
The visitors average 64.5 per cent possession over those two games and 24 shots a match, so the ball is not the problem. Finishing it off is.
Will there be rotation?
Rotation is not really a choice for Juventus this time, because the treatment room has made most of the decisions for them.
With a long list of absentees, the home side are unlikely to have much room to tinker, and a league-phase leader has little reason to want to anyway.
Rennes are in a similar position in the sense that a away win in Turin would be a statement, but they have only one reported absentee and a squad that looks reasonably settled.
Expect a side close to the one that beat OFI, perhaps with a few fresh legs after a quick turnaround from last week's game.
JuventusRennes
Line-ups
Juventus3-4-1-2- 25GG. Vicario
- 4DF. Gatti
- 3DBremer
- 6DL. Kelly
- 2MZ. Çelik
- 12MDouglas Luiz
- 8MT. Koopmeiners
- 20MA. Cambiaso
- 22MW. McKennie
- 9FR. Kolo Muani
- 27FN. Woltemade
Rennes5-3-2- 30GB. Samba
- 14DB. Reynolds
- 48DA. Ait Boudlal
- 4DC. Cresswell
- 24DA. Rouault
- 18DM. Nagida
- 28MA. Thomasson
- 21MV. Rongier
- 45MM. Camara
- 22FB. Dia
- 11FMousa Tamari
Where to watch Juventus v Rennes
Kick-off at the Allianz Stadium is at 17:45 BST on Thursday 22 October.
A UK broadcaster has not been confirmed for this fixture yet, and this page will be updated closer to kick-off.
If the scores are level after 90 minutes, there is no extra time or penalty shoot-out in the league phase of the Europa League, and the points are simply shared.
Numbers behind the tie
- Juventus have scored 7 goals in their two Europa League games this season, an average of 3.5 a game, and have kept one clean sheet.
- Juventus won 5-0 at home to NEC Nijmegen on matchday one, their biggest win of the campaign so far.
- Rennes have scored just 2 goals in two games, both in the last 15 minutes, and failed to score once.
- Rennes average 8.5 corners a game over those two matches, against 3.5 for Juventus.
Match Result: Juventus to win
The table says Juventus are in form, the numbers say they are creating chances, and the absentee list says they will have to do it with a thinner squad than they would like. Rennes have had plenty of the ball in their two games but not much to show for it, and they have yet to score away from home. You have to feel the hosts do enough, probably without needing to be at their best. Juventus are short at 4/9 for a reason, so the better value sits elsewhere. A win by a couple of goals feels the likeliest shape, with Rennes asked to find a way through a back three that has conceded once in two matches.