Stade Rennais FC manager Franck Haise has confirmed he is considering a tactical change for Thursday's Europa League clash with Juventus. The squad arrived in Turin on Wednesday to prepare for this key Group Stage match, a trip that follows a run of five straight losses.
Haise hinted at a potential shift from the usual 4-3-3 formation to a 3-5-2 setup. This adjustment could see the defence built around Abdelhamid Ait Boudlal, Christopher Wooh and Joe Rodon. "Everything is always possible...", the manager stated during his pre-match press conference at the Allianz Stadium.
This tactical deliberation comes during a tough spell for the club. Stade Rennais FC are on a run of five consecutive defeats in all competitions, with their recent form reading zero wins and zero draws from the last five matches. The most recent, a 4-3 loss to Paris FC on 18 October, exposed defensive frailties despite a hat-trick from Esteban Lepaul. The striker is officially ruled out of the trip to Turin with an ankle sprain, a significant blow as he is the team's top scorer this season with seven goals in seven appearances.
Prior to that loss to Paris FC, the team had experienced other difficult results, including a 2-1 home defeat to OFI on 15 October despite goals from Mahamadou Nagida and Abdelhamid Aït Boudlal, and a 4-1 victory over Auxerre on 11 October. However, these were followed by losses at Laval (1-0) and at Lyon (4-0). Thursday's match (18:45 kick-off) therefore presents a major challenge to change momentum. The upcoming fixtures are demanding and a positive result in Italy would send a strong signal. The starting lineup will be closely watched to see if Haise implements his three-at-the-back plan. The game kicks off at 18:45 on Thursday.
More detail at staderennais.com
