Europa League: Rennes, Nantes and Monaco enter the scene...

Borrowed in the league, Rennes, Monaco and Nantes start their Europa League campaign this Thursday evening.

With caution, but not without ambition, in a competition whose theoretical favorites are already Arsenal, Manchester United and AS Roma.

We're back this week 🤩🍿

Which game are you most excited for?

⚽️#UEL pic.twitter.com/MoDQAyHBtg

— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) September 5, 2022

Larnaca - Rennes (6:45 p.m., RMC Sport): imperative Breton victory

Any result other than a victory would be tantamount to a disappointment for Rennes, who are launching their campaign in Cyprus against Larnaca, considered to be the weakest opponents in Group B – Dynamo kyiv (Ukraine) and Fenerbahçe (Turkey) being the two other group members.

Only here, the Breton team, 4th in Ligue 1 last season, is no longer or not yet the formidable scoring machine of last season, the one which had scored 102 goals in 48 games.

In the league, Rennes, 9th, with only 8 points after 6 days, has already lost a lot of points, like in front of Lorient (0-1) on the first day or at Troyes (1-1) last weekend.

For its 5th consecutive European campaign, Rennes, which stopped in the round of 16 of the Europa League Conference last season against Leicester (0-2, 2-1), plans to do better.

Sunday in Troyes, coach Bruno Genesio spoke of a certain lack of humility, of a team which had difficulty in cashing in the praise for its play last season.

"I don't know if we will reach the exceptional level of last year, but we must have the best possible match content," said sports director Florian Maurice.

We have to manage to let go, to free ourselves completely.

»

[# AEKSRFC]

👥 Here is the group selected for the 1st meeting of @EuropaLeague against the 𝗔𝗘𝗞 𝗟𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗰𝗮, tomorrow at 6:45 p.m.

⤵ pic.twitter.com/wHfs5nL0az

— Stade Rennais FC (@staderennais) September 7, 2022

This Thursday evening, Rennes will be without its new attackers, Kalimuendo and Gouiri, the first being still in the recovery phase after an injury, and the second being suspended (following an expulsion with Nice in the Europa League Conference play-off, before his transfer ).

Even if he invites humility, Genesio emphasizes the quality of his workforce.

“At the start of the season, we are with Paris the team that shoots the most, the one that also concedes the fewest opposing shots, he specifies.

We are creating chances, but for the moment we are not doing enough to deserve better.

We have a lack of efficiency, due to a crying lack of commitment in both surfaces.

»

Red Star - Monaco (9 p.m., RMC Sport): perilous trip for the Monegasques

Disappointing 10th in L1, Monaco has been blowing hot and cold since early August.

The Rocher team, 3rd in the previous year, missed a qualification for the Champions League against PSV Eindhoven (1-1, 2-3 after extra time), then received a few slaps in the league, on their lawn: 4-1 ahead of Lens, 4-2 against Troyes… Conversely, ASM won a draw at the Parc des Princes against PSG ten days ago and remains on a 1-0 success in Nice.

This Thursday in Belgrade (Serbia), Philippe Clement's players will have an interest in traveling well, again, in the context of the Marakana, the boiling stadium of the Red Star.

Points will be expensive in the rather homogeneous group H, which also includes Ferencvaros (Hungary) and Trabzonspor (Turkey)

🦸 𝗟𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽𝗲 Monegasque for the trip to Belgrade ⤵️

‣ #UEL 🇪🇺 |

#FKCZASM

– AS Monaco 🇲🇨 (@AS_Monaco) September 7, 2022

Unhappy to have been left on the bench by Clement against Nice, Wissam Ben Yedder was assured of starting the game.

For the international striker, 25 goals last season, it will be an opportunity, if not to turn his goal counter this season - only one, against Eindhoven - to score points in the eyes of his coach but also to dissipate the semblance of unease, born of his outburst in Nice.

“There is nothing at all with Wissam, he will be ready for Thursday, diplomatically advanced Clement, who appreciates Breel Embolo, the striker recruited in the offseason, and insists on the need to rotate the workforce in the current period.

I saw him celebrate

with his teammates and then do the clearing work on the pitch.

With goalscorers, it's like ketchup: the goals come all of a sudden..."

Nantes - Olympiakos Le Piraeus (9 p.m., W9, C + Foot): heavy entry for the Canaries

Surprise winner of the Coupe de France, FC Nantes is back on the European stage which it had deserted for eighteen years.

In the meantime, the Canaries have, depending on the year, sailed in the soft underbelly of the L1 or struggled to maintain it.

Also, they do not roll mechanics at the time of welcoming Olympiakos (Greece), authentic small big of Europe, which sought participation in the Champions League.

Freiburg, provisional leader of the Bundesliga, in Germany, and Qarabag (Azerbaijan) complete group G.

With 129 games, Mathieu Valbuena has almost as many European appearances as all of Antoine Kombouaré's players (160).

📋 𝗟𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗼𝗾𝘂𝗲́ by Coach Kombouaré.

‣ #FCNOLY I #UEL pic.twitter.com/LohlVPkU3T

– FC Nantes (@FCNantes) September 7, 2022

“There is a shot to be played”, however, believes the Nantes coach, who does not lose sight of the fact that 3rd place in the group will offer the opportunity to be transferred to the Europa League Conference, via a play-off in February.

However, Nantes seems to lack bench depth to play simultaneously on both tables of L1 and C3.

The meeting will also be marked by the visit of a former child of the house, Christian Karembeu, 51, member of the recruitment cell of the Greek club.

"FC Nantes gave me everything," said the 1998 world champion, double winner of the Champions League with Real Madrid.

The conditions, the know-how, the experience.

They educated me, they instilled in me the way of perceiving football.

Antoine (

is my roots at FC Nantes.

He is the one who welcomed me, who gave me advice, who made me grow.

He was my tutor.

»

C4: Nice - FC Cologne (6:45 p.m., RMC Sport): the opportunity to take off for the Aiglons

With the "small" European Cup, Nice may have found the shoe to suit it, as the debut of Lucien Favre's team in L1 is not up to the ambitions of the Côte d'Azur club flying the British flag.

The Aiglons, stuck in 16th place in the championship, will have to gain altitude if they intend to beat FC Cologne, 6th in the Bundesliga.

Slovacko (Czech Republic) and Partizan de Belgrade (Serbia) complete Group D. However, the Nice have shown their ability to transcend themselves in a European context, to dismiss Maccabi Tel Aviv in extra time at the Allianz Arena fifteen years ago. days (0-1, 2-0).

This Thursday, Nice will play without Ramsey, their Welsh international midfielder, with a hamstring injury, or Youcef Atal, injured in a thigh.