Stade Rennais FC face major blow as Lepaul injury threatens Juventus clash

Stade Rennais FC faces the likely absence of top scorer Esteban Lepaul for their Europa League trip to Juventus on Thursday. The French forward injured his left ankle in stoppage time of Sunday's 4-3 defeat to Paris FC, a major setback for a team mired in a five-match losing streak, with zero wins and zero draws in their last five outings.

Lepaul had single-handedly kept Stade Rennais FC in the game, scoring a hat-trick from the penalty spot to level the score at 3-3 in the 88th minute. However, he was forced off following a duel in added time, leaving his side with ten men. Paris FC capitalised on the numerical advantage to score a winning penalty shortly after. This 4-3 loss on 18 October adds to a string of recent defeats, including a 1-0 loss at Laval on 2 October and a heavy 4-0 defeat at Lyon on 19 September.

Frank Haise's Pessimism

Head coach Franck Haise expressed deep pessimism about the player's chances of recovering in time for the trip to Turin. "Knowing him, if he comes off in added time at 3-3, at a crucial moment for us because he tells me he can't continue, I don't see how in the very short term, and Thursday is very short term, he could play," Haise told reporters. The injury comes at the worst possible time, with Lepaul's four goals in six appearances this season making him the only consistent scorer during this poor run of form.

The sporting context is alarming. The loss to Paris FC marks a fifth consecutive defeat for Stade Rennais FC, who last won in their UEFA Cup match against OFI on 15 October, a game they turned around to win 2-1 with goals from Mahamadou Nagida and Abdelhamid Aït Boudlal. The immediate fixture list is unforgiving, starting with the trip to Juventus on Saturday 22 October, followed by key league matches as they try to climb the table. Stade Rennais FC' next fixture is precisely this decisive match in Italy on Thursday at 21:00, a key appointment to try and stop the negative spiral. Losing Lepaul, who has scored his last three penalties, would deprive the team of its main attacking threat at a time when confidence is low. The club's medical staff will now assess the severity of the sprain, but serious doubt hangs over the team selection for Thursday night. Defender Adrien Truffert, who also went off injured on Sunday, is another doubt for the match.

More detail at Score.fr