Our prediction for this Europa League match:
AEK Larnaca take on Rennes at their AEK Arena in the Europa League group stages round 1. The Cypriotes were impressive in the qualifiers, with the team eliminating the likes of Partizan and Dnipro in the process, but they head into Thursday’s clash following a 3-2 loss to Omonia. Anyhow, you should bear in mind that AEK Larnaca are tough to beat at home. Rafa Lopes, who found the net in the 3-0 win over Dnipro, will continue to lead the line for the hosts.
Les Rouges et Noirs, on the other hand, played out a 1-1 draw with Troyes at the weekend. Over the years Rennes have established themselves as a top-table side in the Ligue 1, but beating AEK in Larnaca is easier said than done. Taking everything into account, we believe that there is a big value in betting on draw. All Doku, Kalimuendo, and Omari should miss out with injuries for the away team.
Highlighted Player (Roberto Rosales):
Born in Caracas, Venezuela on November 20, 1988, Roberto Rosales is a pacey full back who plays for Malaga in La Liga. Rosales started his career at the youth team of Deportivo Gulima and he played for his home-town club Caracas during his youth career as well.
After making two appearances in the league for Caracas, the Venezuela international joined Belgian side Gent in 2007 and he played for De Buffalo’s until 2010. Roberto Rosales scored five goals in 72 games for Gent in the Belgian top flight and in the summer of 2010 he signed a three-year deal with Eredivisie side Twente. He quickly established himself as a first-team regular at Twente and you should bear in mind that he played 118 games in the Dutch elite division for the club.
On July 9, 2014 Roberto Rosales moved to Spain, signing a three-year deal with Malaga and he has been playing for los Boquerones ever since. Speaking of his international career, he made his debut for Venezuela on March 28, 2007 in a 5-0 win over New Zealand.
Highlighted Team (Rennes):
Stade Rennais Football Club or simply Rennes is a French football club which was founded on March 10, 1901. The club is one of the founding members of the French Ligue 1 and they are nicknamed Les Rouges et Noirs. Roazhon Park is the club’s home ground and the venue can hold 29.778 people. Rennes have yet to win the Ligue 1 trophy, but they won Coupe de France title on two occasions (1964/1965, 1970/1971). Speaking of Coupe de la Ligue, les Rouges et Noirs made it to the final of the competition in the 2012/2013 season, but they were beaten by Saint Etienne (1-0) in the title game at Stade de France.
A number of top-class footballers played for Stade Rennais Football Club in the past and the likes of Sylvain Wiltord, Yoann Gourcuff, Yann M’Vila, Moussa Sow and Jimmy Briand are considered the club’s most notable players. Rennes footballers wear black and red jerseys when playing at home, while they wear white when playing on the travels.