For French clubs in the Europa League, the missions are varied this Thursday evening on the European chessboard.
At Fenerbahçe, Rennes, already qualified, will only work on their direct qualification for the 1/8th finals.
Monaco, traveling to Ferencvaros, must get back into the race for qualification by bringing back a result from Hungary.
For its part, Nantes, back to the wall, must necessarily win in front of Qarabag to hope to survive in C3.
Finally, in the Europa League Conference (C4), Nice still has its destiny in hand, when it comes to welcoming Partizan Belgrade.
Rennes: first place within reach
Stade Rennais, already qualified for the final phase, faces this Thursday evening (6:45 p.m.) the Turks of Fenerbahçe in their stadium during the 5th day in a match that looks like the final of group B. In the event of victory, the men of Bruno Genesio, tied on points with the Istanbul club, would take a serious option on first place, which allows them to skip a round and go directly to the round of 16.
In the den of Fenerbahçe, used to European meetings and current leader of the Turkish championship, “it will be a very difficult match.
The atmosphere is going to be terrible,” warns Welsh international defender Joe Rodon.
It is one of the biggest teams in Turkey, and for a long time.
Everyone respects them.
Rennes too, over the years, will reach this status and become a great team.
Such is the ambition of the leaders of the Breton club, which is playing its fifth European campaign in a row.
Defeat forbidden for Monaco
AS Monaco face the Hungarians of Ferencvaros (9 p.m.), the Budapest club which dispossessed it last week of the head of a very undecided group H.
But with four goals conceded in Trabzon, then four in Lille... Monaco must imperatively close ranks in defense against the leader of group H, in order not to be eliminated this Thursday.
A defeat in Budapest (1st, 9 points) combined with a victory for Trabzonspor (2nd, 6 points) in Belgrade would automatically oust the players of Philippe Clement (3rd, 6 points) from the first two places in the group.
For a team that was aiming for a qualification in the Champions League at the start of the season, the snub would be scathing.
And the tremors internally would not fail to affect the sports management like the coach.
Facing the Hungarian champion and winner of his national cup, winner in the first leg at the Stade Louis-II (1-0), the lights are flashing on the Monegasque scoreboard.
“We know that this match is very important”, slipped at the end of the meeting in Lille on Sunday, striker Breel Embolo, after the 4-3 defeat.
After the recent disappointments, Clement hopes that the lessons have been learned.
“I don't like to develop a spectacular game and lose, he asserts.
We must react against Ferencvaros.
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Nantes: three points or the door
By receiving Qarabag, Nantes are playing their last chance in Group G this Thursday evening (9 p.m.).
Relegated to 3rd place with 3 points, the Nantes residents must imperatively win against their opponent, 2nd with 7 points, to maintain their hopes of qualification or at least secure their current place, synonymous with transfer to C4.
“It's a final, said Wednesday Antoine Kombouaré who clings to the hope of finishing in 2nd place.
It is the adversary that must be exceeded at all costs.
However, Kombouaré has not forgotten the "slap" received by Nantes in Baku (3-0), nor loses sight of the fact that the Azerbaijani club has recorded six wins and one draw in seven matches.
If successful, everything would be decided on the last day, where Nantes will find Olympiakos in Piraeus, current bottom of the group, while Qarabag will receive Fribourg, undisputed leader of the group with four victories.
“We have to make the suspense last until the end”, however hammered Kombouaré.
Nice (C4): expected reaction
The Riviera club, struggling in the game and under tension after the incidents that occurred in September against Cologne, hopes to chase away its sporting and extra sporting demons this Thursday evening (6:45 p.m.) against Partizan Belgrade and its fiery supporters.
The serious excesses of Nice-Cologne (1-1) on September 8 - 32 injured including one serious - are still on everyone's mind in Nice, despite the possibility for the Aiglons (2nd, 5 points) to top the the pool ahead of the Serbs (1st, 8 points) if successful.
After the sanction of a match behind closed doors, served against the Czech club Slovacko (1-2), the reception of Partizan, with supporters deemed to be very warm, revived some concerns.
As for the people of Nice in Belgrade, the authorities have planned a “fanzone” for Partizan supporters, where they can eat, and from which they will access the Allianz Riviera, “exclusively by shuttle”.
On the sporting level, since the "first 65 minutes of good level" of the reception of Troyes (3-2) on October 9, Nice, by the own admission of coach Lucien Favre, no longer shows anything positive, with a defeat against to Slovacko 2-1 and two draws 1-1 ahead of Auxerre and Nantes.
