AC Milan vs Stade Rennais Preview

After a two-month hiatus, the Europa League finally returns this Thursday with AC Milan welcoming Rennes to the San Siro for the first leg of the knockout stage playoffs.

AC Milan are playing in this competition because they finished third in their UEFA Champions League group so having dropped a level down, the hosts will be desperate not to fall on their first hurdle in this competition.

Their last involvement in the Europa League was in the 2020/21 season when they were beaten 2-1 by Manchester United in the Round of 16. Since then, they have progressed beyond the group stage only once in European competitions. It is safe to say that they do not have a strong recent history in Europe.

Therefore, they will be desperate to change things here and continue their impressive run of form having won nine of their last 12 games in all competitions (D2, L1).

Meanwhile, Rennes are playing in the playoffs because they finished in second place in their Europa League group. They were close to finishing top of their group but narrowly missed by one point after a 3-2 loss at home to Villarreal in the last group game.

Despite the disappointment of missing out on top spot, the French side have dusted themselves off going unbeaten in their next nine games, including winning their last eight games in all competitions. So they travel to Milan in top form and will fancy their chances of winning the first leg of this tie.