Baumit Jablonec vs Rennes Predictions

With the way thing are in Group K, Jablonec would’ve been pleased to take a point away from Kazakhstan with them on match-day four, but they were unable to cling on late in the day, as they fell behind with just a few minutes remaining. The Polish outfit must now win each of their last two matches (and hope that other results go their way) to stand any chance of making it through to the knockout rounds.

Rennes may have just three points after four matches, which suggests that they’ve not exactly played well, though the French outfit can count themselves unlucky to not be in a much more fortunate position.

Sabri Lamouchi’s men have outplayed their opponents in at least three of their four matches, while they certainly didn’t deserve to come off second best in Ukraine on match-day four. With an average of 1.59 expected goals for and an average of just 0.89 against, it’s fair to say that Rennes are performing solidly in the UEL this season.

Moreover, when this pair met back on match-day one, Rennes were in control from start to finish, as they scored twice, accumulated a pleasing 1.76 expected goals and gave up just 0.29 at the other end. A repeat of that performance in Poland would likely see the visitors gain their second win of the campaign.

In contrast, Jablonec haven’t exactly performed well since the start of the competition and thus they deserve to be where they are. Thursday’s hosts haven’t given a ridiculous amount away, though they’ve struggled massively to impose themselves at the other end.

In the reverse of this fixture, Jablonec were unable to really threaten offensively, while they failed to keep things tight at the back too. Since then, they’ve defended better, but they continue to be blighted by a lack of forward strength, as the fact that they’re averaging just 0.69 expected goals tells us.

Results tell us that there’s not a lot between the pair, though as mentioned Rennes have been far better than the bare figures suggest. Thursday’s visitors have performed as though a simple win is just around the corner, while they’ve simply offered more at both ends of the pitch than their opponents here. With that in mind, Rennes, who’re averaging 0.9 more expected goals for than the hosts and who’re giving up 0.3 less, are very easy to back at the prices.