Rennes vs Panathinaikos prediction: EUROPE: Europa League – Group Stage betting tips on match 2023-11-08 17:45.
Frustrated manager Bruno Génésio admitted he’s finding Rennes performances “annoying” right now after they suffered a fourth defeat in six matches (W1, L1) on Sunday. The boss was unhappy with his team as they were beaten 2-0 by high-flying Nice, stating that they are suffering so many defeats because they are making the same mistakes as they were at the start of the campaign.
Génésio also blamed the low “confidence” within the group, so he will hope a return to UEFA Europa League (UEL) action can signal a change in fortunes. The French outfit are attempting to progress out of the group stages of a European competition for the third successive season and have picked up six of an available nine points so far (W2, L1), including a 2-1 victory over opponents for this match Panathinaikos last month.
The Greeks will by no means be pushovers though, given that was their only defeat in their last eight matches, a run that includes five victories (D2). The most recent was a 2-1 win at Lamia on Saturday, secured through Andraž Šporar’s last-gasp strike. That result kept Ivan Jovanović’s men top of the Super League 1 table as they go in search of their first title since 2009/10
Their form in the UEL hasn’t been quite so good, although they have still collected a respectable four points from three outings (W1, D1, L1), including a 2-0 home victory over Villarreal. A further win in this clash would enhance their chances of reaching the knockout stages of a European competition for the first time in over a decade, but the fact they haven’t won any of their last 11 UEL away matches outside of qualifying ties (D3, L8) won’t inspire confidence.
Key battle: Amine Gouiri, who netted for Rennes in the reverse fixture, has scored six of his UEL seven goals before HT, with three of those strikes being the first of the game. He will be attempting to get the better of Panathinaikos goalkeeper Alberto Brignoli, who has only kept one clean sheet in five European away games (W1, D1, L3).
Hot stat: There have been 3+ match goals in eight of Panathinaikos’ last nine outings across all competitions.