Does Rennes’ rhythm help?
The Europa League knockout round gets underway and Shakhtyor Donetsk will be looking to play a good role despite the circumstances.
The Shakhtjor Donetsk vs Rennes prediction from betting sites says otherwise, however, with the odds clearly in favour of the French side here.
There are several reasons why Rennes are favourites in this clash. The Ukrainians lack the rhythm, and due to the war in the country, the match will not be played in Ukraine, but in Warsaw. There is no real home advantage, but the team is also used to these circumstances.
Much is open before this match, because no one can really assess how the Ukrainians are in shape. But because they generally take an attacking approach, our tip before the match between Shakhtyor Donetsk and Rennes is that both teams will score.
Shakhtyor Donetsk – Statistics & current form
The circumstances in the league in Ukraine are of course complicated. Home games are not possible for some clubs, there is a complete lack of rhythm. Matches have had to be cancelled, Shakhtyor Donetsk have played 13 times so far, most recently in November against Vorskla Poltava. This means that there is currently no real news on the form of the hosts. So coach Igor Jovicevic now had the difficult task of preparing the team for a knockout duel without match practice.
Of course, test matches were played, but that is something different from a match at competition level. There, things have looked very decent so far in the domestic league, only losing one match there, which is a good record with 13 matches played. With one game less than Dnipro, Shachtjor Donetsk are currently in second place there, five points behind. But the national level is not important for the evaluation of the Europa League at the moment.
Meanwhile, the group stage of the Champions League went quite well. Celtic, RB Leipzig and Real Madrid were the opponents, all of whom are individually well-staffed. Finishing third is a decent achievement, especially since a lot of things worked in the 4:1 win in Leipzig. However, Mykhaylo Mudryk was sold to Chelsea in the winter and was his team’s best scorer to date.
The 0 is too rare
His absence must undoubtedly be shared on several shoulders. Shakhtyor Donetsk no longer has that variability and class in the team as it did a few years ago, that is also partly due to circumstances. The football is different, rather more conservative and not spectacular.
Nevertheless, there are players of high quality. Centre-back Matvienko, full-back Koplya, leading player Stepanenko in midfield or striker Traore, for example. They have to be put in the limelight appropriately for the team to be successful. One problem for Shakhtyor Donetsk is that they have always conceded at least one goal at international level. For this reason, our prediction before the match between Shakhtyor Donetsk and Rennes is that both teams will score at least once.
Injured and suspended players of Shakhtyor Donetsk:
No information available.
Last matches of Shakhtyor Donetsk:
Club friendlies
20/01/2023 – Austria Vienna 2 – 1 Shakhtar Donetsk
Premier League
23/11/2022 – Shakhtar Donetsk 3 – 2 Vorskla Poltava
19/11/2022 – SC Dnipro-1 2 – 1 Shakhtar Donetsk
13/11/2022 – Shakhtar Donetsk 2 – 2 FK Sorja Luhansk
09/11/2022 – Veres Rivne 0 – 2 Shakhtar Donetsk
Rennes – Statistics & current form
Rennes have always had a talented squad at their disposal in recent years, and that is the case again this time around. In Ligue 1, the team belongs to the top group, currently in sixth place. The team can live with that, because many players are still in a development process. At the weekend, however, the dress rehearsal was lost 3-1 against Toulouse and Martin Terrier, the best scorer, is missing due to injury.
Currently, when looking at Rennes, the question is whether it is a trend or a short negative phase. After all, this team has lost four of its last five games. At least the performances have not always been bad, Rennes has been able to keep up well, but has lacked the decisive punch.
Coach Bruno Genesio must now prepare his team well, but that is difficult when there is no real foundation. That’s what makes this game so tricky for the French. It will be important to get into the tempo. Gouiri, Kalimuendo, Doku and also Toko Ekambi bring this with them, so any opposition defence can be presented with problems.
Rennes with problems away from home
Rennes have had their fair share of problems away from home, conceding five of their seven Ligue 1 defeats at home. In addition, the team has only scored nil in two of the last ten games, so the defence must stabilise again. Meanwhile, 18 goals have been conceded away from home in the league, and Rennes score 1.6 points less per game on average.
This was not noticeable in the group stage, where seven points were earned away from home. In the end, it was the three draws that ensured that the French finished second behind Fenerbahce. But at least the rhythm speaks for the team, everyone is fully in the juice. Therefore, in the run-up to the match between Shakhtyor Donetsk and Rennes, our value tip is that the visitors will not lose and that more than 1.5 goals will be scored.
Last matches of Rennes:
Ligue 1
12/02/2023 – Toulouse 3 – 1 Rennes
05/02/2023 – Rennes 1 – 3 Lille
02/02/2023 – Rennes 3 – 0 Strasbourg
28/01/2023 – Lorient 2 – 1 Rennes
Coupe de France
21/01/2023 – Marseille 1 – 0 Rennes
Shakhtyor Donetsk – Rennes Direct comparison / H2H record
In 2005, these two clubs crossed paths in the identical competition once before, back then the Ukrainians won 1-0 in France.
Shakhtyor Donetsk – Rennes tip
Shakhtyor Donetsk are currently covered with many question marks that hardly anyone can really answer. So this game will be very revealing. The season has been decent so far, but they haven’t played a competitive game in almost three months.
Rennes are currently in the first mini-crisis, but the performances are not yet catastrophic. Nevertheless, too much is being offered, especially defensively, which is why our tip before the match between Shakhtyor Donetsk and Rennes is that both teams will score.
