Rennes vs AEK Larnaca

Roazhon Park is the venue as Rennes and AEK Larnaca go head-to-head in an enthralling Europa League Group B finale. Regardless of the outcome, Rennes will be heading to the knockouts, with AEK set to continue their continental journey in the Europa Conference League.

Despite going unbeaten in their opening five Europa League fixtures this season (W3, D2), Rennes cannot allow complacency to get the better of them, with a top-place finish in Group B still up for grabs. After letting a three-goal lead slip through their fingers in last week’s eye-catching 3-3 draw at Fenerbahce, ‘Les Rennais’ have to better the Turkish side’s result against Dynamo Kyiv, or else depend on a goal difference to determine group winners. Unbeaten in their last seven home outings in major European competitions (W4, D3), Bruno Genesio’s men head into this encounter on the back of a 14-game unbeaten streak in all competitions (W10, D4), including a 3-0 demolition of Montpellier at the weekend.

Meanwhile, visiting AEK Larnaca were pegged back twice in an action-packed 3-3 home draw against Kyiv last time out, marking their first stalemate in five Europa League matches this season (W1, L3). Even though they’ve only managed one win in Group B, the Cypriot minnows will contest European fixtures in the springtime, courtesy of a 1-0 win at Kyiv on matchday two. They since succumbed to a 2-0 defeat at Fenerbahce and could lose back-to-back away matches in major European competitions during a single season for the first time since 1996/97. That’s somewhat expected, though, with the ‘Green-Yellows’ losing all three previous European clashes against French clubs, including a 2-1 home reverse to Rennes on matchday one.