The learning phase is over. After several years of losing – without ever dishonoring themselves – in the European Cup, Rennes proved during the Ligue Conférence group stage that encouraging defeats were a thing of the past, and that they could give way to deserved victories, and an assumed status. These past experiences must serve the Red and Blacks, when it comes to challenging Leicester, English champions in 2016, on home soil, in the Round of 16 first leg of the Conference League.
We worked hard to qualify and finish first in the group during the first part of the season. – Bruno Genesio
In a raised pool, which included Mura, Vitesse Arnhem and Tottenham, Stade Rennais came out top of the pool with flying colors, assured of this first place even before traveling to London to meet Tottenham on the last day, a match that will ultimately never be played due to numerous absences from the English and the impossibility of postponing this meeting. This “easy” qualification is not anecdotal, since during their two previous European campaigns (Europa League in 2019/2020 and Champions League in 2020/2021) the Rennais had finished last in their group.
In the French championship, apart from Paris, Rennes are the only team to have a running streak of four consecutive European qualifiers. On the Leicester side, if the Foxes played in a Champions League quarter-final in 2017, since then qualifications have become rarer. Jamie Vardy’s teammates, absent this Thursday evening, finished third in their Europa League pool in the first part of the season, and eliminated the Randers (Denmark) in the Conference League play-off. On recent experience, Rennes seems a little better equipped. But for Bruno Genesio, his team does not become a favorite.
For me Leicester is favourite. – Bruno Genesio
The Rennes coach ensures that this is not a communication to put pressure on the opponent: “No, not at all, it’s the truth, it’s a team that is built to play the Champions League, to play for the Premier League title, since they were champions a few years ago. For me they are favorites, it’s not just a facade speech to remove the pressure, because the pressure we have as much as them.” For his part, the technical director of the SRFC Florian Maurice even spoke “of achievement” when considering a Rennes qualification after the draw.
A new ambition
However, with their past experiences in Europe and a quality of play rarely seen in Rennes, Stade Rennais will not go to Leicester in the simple hope of keeping the 0-0 all match assures Bruno Genesio: “We want to impose our game. I don’t know if it’s new, but in any case it’s what I want to instill in the group and the club, because I think it’s the best way to win matches. It’s not being smug or pretentious to say that, it’s just that I have confidence in my players, in my team.”
At the club, we do not hide internally a deep desire to go far in this competition. “It is cut out for a club of our size“A Stade Rennais executive recently slipped privately to France Bleu Armorique. To be sure, it will already be necessary to remove the cumbersome Leicester obstacle, with if possible a result as soon as the first leg on English soil this Thursday evening.