Already out of the Europa League, Stade Rennes will play its final group phase game, on Thursday at Atlético Madrid. A prestigious game which will be used to give time on the field to players lacking it, rather than experience to the first team regulars.
Frédéric Antonetti has made a choice. Three days before a trip to Ajaccio, he decided to rotate his squad for this Thursday’s game at the Vicente-Calderon, in Madrid. The final game in the toughest group of this Europa League, the game against Atlético Madrid, already qualified, came across as a game of prestige. The sort of game any footballer would dream to feature in.
After the training session on Tuesday morning, the Breton manager saw this game as a « match of prestige », before adding « it would be great if we could win it, but I also consider it as a preparation game ».
“It is an opportunity for players returning from injury to show they are ready to get in the squad before Ajaccio or Bordeaux”. This final Europa League game is also a possibility to do some coaching. “Those who lack playing time and are truly good players will have an opportunity to shine.”
Alexander Tettey, Yassine Jebbour, Chris Mavinga, Youssouf Hadji or Yacine Brahimi will therefore be given an opportunity to show their qualities in Spain. And maybe Onyekachi Apam? "I don’t know yet yet, it isn’t sure at all », his manager replies. “He played one hour and a half last week-end with the Reserve. He is in the squad but I am still in reflexion.”
The ambition will also be to manage a premiere. “It remains a European Cup game. We will give it all to try and win Rennes’ first victory in the Coupe d’Europe”, Benoît Costil after the draw against Brest. And maybe avoid the last place in Stade Rennes’ group.
The match at Vicente-Calderon could have allowed some key Rennes players to gather experience in one of the most beautiful stadiums in Europe, against an opposition of players of international level. Yann M’Vila, Jean-Armel Kana-Biyik, Kévin Théophile-Catherine, Jonathan Pitroipa, Victor Hugo Montaño, Romain Danzé or Julien Féret could certainly have benefited from this experience in the future.
Yann M’Vila was already absent for the first leg. “It was a match of prestige, the sort of game we would all like to start. It was a frustration at the time but then you look at things in a different way. It was for my own good”, he remembers.
As he often reminds, the domestic league is, to Frédéric Antonetti and Stade rennais, “our bread-and-butter”. After the defeat in Nice and the draw against Brest, the priority is to remain in contention with the Ligue 1 leader on Sunday evening. “Ajaccio is the objective, Benoît Costil insisted last Saturday. The club and the squad are looking on the way up, so we need to win there. »
Nicolas Auffray - Le Mensuel de Rennes
- Photo : www.rennes.lemensuel.com
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