Rennes vs Arsenal Predictions

Rennes made light work of hurting a more than useful Real Betis side in the previous round, so much so that they scored six times on route to booking their place in the last-16. After that confidence-boosting win, Rennes ought to fancy themselves to make life tough for Arsenal, who struggled on their travels during the previous round.

Despite not being the side that they once were, Arsenal can still be tough to face, so this is no easy task for Rennes, though there’s numerous reasons as to why Thursday’s French hosts will be feeling confident. Firstly, Rennes have a pleasing recent record at home domestically, as they’re unbeaten in their last six at home, four of which they’ve won.

Secondly, Rennes have looked like a very good attacking side on their own patch in the Europa League this season. Not only did they score three goals against Betis in the first knockout round, but they also scored at least twice in two of their three home group matches, while they’re currently averaging two goals for per home match and are averaging 1.87 expected goals for.

However, Rennes are not the only ones who’ve looked useful going forward in the UEL. Even on their travels in this competition, Arsenal have shown that they’ve got plenty up their sleeve. They did fail to score away against BATE in the first knockout round, though it’s not as if they were without opportunities. Moreover, Unai Emery’s men scored seven goals away during the group stages, while they also averaged a pleasing 1.78 expected goals for.

From a defensive point of view, both Rennes and Arsenal appear to have done well in their respective home and away matches, though neither have faced a side as astute in the final third as their opponents on this occasion.

In the betting, ‘Over 2.5 Goals & Both Teams to Score’ is easy to make a case for at the current prices. Both Rennes and Arsenal have shown plenty going forward in their respective home and away matches during the current Europa League campaign, and with the pair averaging a combined 3.51 expected goals for, supporting a high-scoring affair, where both register on the score-sheet at least once, makes plenty of sense.