Rennes continued its preparation by beating Angers on Saturday 1-0 in a disputed friendly match but deprived of a goal up to a header against its camp from Angevin defender Mateo Pavlovic at the very end of the game.
In the silence of the closed door at the Rabine stadium in Vannes, the two teams showed real commitment but opportunities were rare on both sides, with the exception of a goal by James Lea Siliki denied for an offside position (30). It was not until a corner from Clément Grenier in the 89th minute to see Pavlovic head the ball back into Paul Bernardoni's cage.
"I saw some interesting things", however declared the trainer Julien Stéphan, evoking a "rise in range in the preparation". To give playing time to as many players as possible, the coach made nine changes shortly after the hour mark. But several of his executives, including young star Eduardo Camavinga, were not on the scoreboard. match, because of "small glitches" without gravity according to Stéphan.
Rennes internship in Vannes
The “Rouge et Noir” are starting a training camp on Saturday in the Bay of Vannes, during which they still have to face Lorient on Tuesday and Brest on August 8, before a trip to Nice on August 15. Third in the last championship, Rennes, which now displays the ambition to play for European places each season, is preparing for the first Champions League campaign in its history.
The Bretons have their ticket for the third qualifying round of the competition in a dry match on September 15 or 16, before a possible round-trip jump-off on September 22/23 and 29/30. But they could go directly to the group stage if Manchester United, Shakhtar Donetsk, Sevilla FC, Inter Milan or Basaksehir, already qualified for the C1, win the Europa League on August 21.
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