Davide Ancelotti has confirmed three major absences in his squad ahead of LOSC Lille's trip to face Stade Rennais this Sunday. The manager held his press conference on Saturday, November 7th at the Domaine de Luchin, broadcast live. Lille, second with 18 points, face a direct rival for Europe in Stade Rennais, who currently sit in fifth place with 16 points.
Confirmed Absences
Hamza Igamane will be absent due to his ongoing recovery, with a hoped return in mid-December. Tiago Santos is ruled out with a knee injury. The most notable case is that of Ayase Ueda, whom the medical staff decided not to risk. "We took the decision not to select Ayase Ueda because the risk of relapse was too great for him," explained Ancelotti. "We decided to take a little more time for him, we think we can get him back for the next match (against OL, November 21st)".
Lepaul Uncertainty and Bentaleb's Return
The availability of Esteban Lepaul, Lille's top scorer this season with seven goals in seven appearances, remains uncertain for this fixture. On a positive note, Nabil Bentaleb has returned to training after being ill during the match against Bodø/Glimt in Europe. Lille, second in the standings with 18 points, face a Stade Rennais side sitting fifth with 16 points. Stade Rennais FC are coming off a 0-0 draw with Olympiakos on November 4th and are looking to end a run of five matches without a win, with zero wins, two draws and three defeats in that spell. This difficult run includes a heavy 5-2 defeat at Nice on October 30th, despite goals from Sebastian Szymański and Boulaye Dia. Their next fixture is against Lille this Sunday, November 8th. Lille themselves are coming off a 2-4 loss to Galatasaray and a 0-0 draw with Bodø/Glimt in the Europa League. This Stade Rennais FC cauldron, where the hosts have won four of their five home games this season, promises an intense duel in the race for Europe. Kick-off is at 3:00 PM.
More detail at staderennais.com
