Milan – Rennes

Favourite to beat rival France at the start of the play-offs

On Thursday, the first games of the Europa League 1/16 finals will be played, where the second teams of the groups of this tournament will duel with the third clubs of the Champions League groups. One of the most star-studded participants of this stage will start the play-offs of the second European football competition in its own arena. As a result of the draw for the main round of the Champions League, the Italian club found itself in the "group of death" along with PSG, Newcastle and Borussia Dortmund. "Rosso-Neri" passed the tests honourably, but could not achieve one of the top two places, even winning at Newcastle in the last round. Of course, the ambitions of Milan, last year's Champions League semi-finalist, lie in the plane of the elite continental tournament, but it is unlikely that the team will squander the first international title in years. The spoilt nature of Rennes is hardly worth mentioning at all. Surely, the name of the opponent additionally motivates the players of the French club, but this team has never won anywhere but the national cup. Rennes got to the Europa League playoffs from the second place of Group F, where until the last round competed with Villarreal for the first place and lost it in a personal meeting. Bookmakers have expectedly identified the hosts as favourites for the upcoming meeting, offering odds of 1.67 on their victory. Milan now nothing prevents them from concentrating on the Europa League matches. "Rosso-Neri" now occupy third place in the Serie A standings. The team is hopelessly behind Inter in the fight for the title, but about the same degree ahead of the fourth team of the championship, which allows you to safely prepare for the Champions League next season. The Milanese club has been playing well in recent weeks. Since the beginning of the year, the club took part in six rounds of the national league, in which they lost only two points. During this period, it managed to beat Napoli and Roma, among others. Rennes have also picked up a brilliant playing form this year. Despite the team's long winning streak, do not overestimate the level of their opposition over this period. Apart from Nice, who have somewhat lost their form, Rennes have not been beaten by any club from the top half of the Ligue 1 standings. The guests will not cope with the pressure in Milan.