Arsenal eye victory away against Rennes in round of 16 first leg in 2018/19 UEFA Europa League

Arsenal will play Rennes on Thursday in 2018/19 UEFA Europa League round of 16 first leg as the season moves ahead. The Gunners go into this game as the favourites.

Kick-off : 6:55 PM (Local)

Venue : Stade de la Route de Lorient, Rennes

Arsenal will be happy that they have gotten this far in 2018/19 UEFA Europa League but will surely be having their eyes set on the prestigious trophy. For that they will need to play quality football.

The Gunners know that their opponents in the round of 16 are stiff opponents in Rennes. The French outfit can cause an upset but Arsenal are well aware of their abilities.

Winning away will be a boaster and they will need to capitalise on the opportunity.

On the other hand, Rennes too will be happy that they have gotten this far in the Europa League and if they can continue their arch ahead will be a huge morale booster.

But they know that Arsenal is in the way and it is not going to be easy. Hence they need to make the home advantage count in the first leg giving their all and hoping for the best.

The two teams haven’t played each other before so this will be their first ever competitive meeting.

Team news and possible line-ups

Hamari Traore will not be available for Rennes for the Arsenal game as due to suspension.

As for The Gunners, Petr Cech is available and will likely play.

Rennes XI : Koubek, Zeffane, Silva, Mexer, Bensebaini, Sarr, Andre, Grenier, Del Castillo, Ben Arfa, Hunou.

Arsenal XI : Cech, Maitland-Niles, Mustafi, Papastathopoulos, Kolasinac, Xhaka, Torreira, Mkhitaryan, Ozil, Iwobi, Aubameyang.

Prediction

It should be a good game as both teams will give their all but I expect Arsenal to prevail in the end. The Gunners might win 2-1.