Stade Rennais FC begin their Europa League campaign this Wednesday, 16 September, with a trip to Graz (19:00). The Breton club will face Sturm Graz at the Merkur-Arena in the opening match of the League Stage.
The fixture comes on the back of a significant league victory. Stade Rennais secured a 1-0 home win against Olympique de Marseille on 11 September, with Adrien Thomasson scoring the winner in the 52nd minute. This success provides a more confident platform for the European challenge. The team's recent form has been mixed, however, with one win, one draw, and three defeats in their last five matches across all competitions.
Manager Julien Stéphan is expected to rely on a group similar to the one that started against Marseille. The last starting XI was a 4-3-3 featuring Brice Samba in goal, a defence of Przemysław Frankowski, Charlie Cresswell, Arthur Rouault, and Mahamadou Nagida. The midfield trio consisted of Mohamed Camara, Valentin Rongier, and Adrien Thomasson, with Ludovic Blas, Enzo Lepaul, and Ibrahim Soumaré leading the attack. Lepaul, with three goals in four appearances this season, will be a key asset.
Their opponents, Sturm Graz, are also in good spirits following a 2-1 home win over LASK Linz on 13 September. The Austrian side, who typically play a 4-4-2 formation, will be without striker Seedy Jatta due to a shoulder injury, with his return expected around 28 September. Midfielder Emran Soglo is also out with a muscle injury.
For Stade Rennais, this match marks the start of a new European journey. The schedule for upcoming games can be found on our fixtures page. The team will need to quickly establish consistent form in the Europa League, a competition where every point matters in the race for knockout qualification. The exact starting lineup will be confirmed a few hours before kick-off.
