Champions League

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Champions League | Group Stage

Nov 4, 2020 at 8pm UK

Stamford Bridge

Chelsea
3 - 0
Rennes

Werner (10' pen., 41' pen.), Abraham (50')
Kante (26'), Ziyech (32'), Jorginho (65'), Kovacic (79')

FT(HT: 2-0)

Henrique (9'), Del Castillo (89')
Henrique (40')

Preview: Chelsea vs. Rennes - prediction, team news, lineups

By Darren Plant, Senior Reporter | 02 November 2020

Sports Mole previews Wednesday's Champions League fixture between Chelsea and Rennes, including team news and predicted lineups.

Chelsea play host to Rennes in the Champions League on Wednesday evening looking to strengthen their hold of top spot in Group E.

Meanwhile, the French side make the trip to Stamford Bridge looking to record their first ever victory in the group stages of this competition.

Match preview

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard pictured o October 17, 2020 © Reuters

Although Chelsea came in for criticism for their performance against Sevilla on matchday one, Frank Lampard would have been perfectly content with claiming a point against their group rivals.

The stalemate provided the Blues with the platform to show more urgency against dark horses FC Krasnodar in Russia, ultimately leading to an important 4-0 victory being recorded on their travels.

Chelsea still have much work to do in order to qualify for the last 16, preferably as group winners, but their opening two results have left the pressure on their opponents heading into this match.

Having recently left Rennes from West London, goalkeeper Edouard Mendy will inevitably attract most of the attention ahead of this contest, but Lampard will not want to play down the recent contributions of any of his squad.

Despite criticism regarding several aspects of their performances, Chelsea have put together a nine-game unbeaten streak during normal time, only losing out to Tottenham Hotspur in the EFL Cup on penalties.

While Chelsea have been on an upward trajectory of late, Rennes have experienced the opposite courtesy of a four-match winless run being put together ahead of the weekend's meeting with Brest.

However, the comeback 2-1 win in Ligue 1 has lifted the mood at the club, who only sit three points behind leaders Paris Saint-Germain.

Regardless of their recent set of results, Rennes have only conceded six goals during their last five outings, an improvement on their record before the October international break.

Julian Stephan's side also possess a strong threat from set pieces, with defenders Nayef Aguerd and Damien Da Silva already netting three goals apiece this season.

Chelsea Champions League form: DW
Chelsea form (all competitions): WDDDWW

Rennes Champions League form: DL
Rennes form (all competitions): WDDLLW

Team News

Timo Werner scores for Chelsea in August 2020 © Reuters

With Timo Werner being called into action at late notice at Burnley, Lampard may opt to rest the Germany international for this contest.

The same could apply to Kai Havertz, while Christian Pulisic will miss the game as he nurses another hamstring injury.

Thiago Silva and Ben Chilwell could also be handed a rest, giving opportunities to the likes of Antonio Rudiger, Emerson Palmieri and Callum Hudson-Odoi.

Rennes have received a double blow with Daniele Rugani and Eduardo Camavinga both being ruled out through injury.

However, Steven Nzonzi will line up in midfield after serving a European suspension.

Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Mendy; Azpilicueta, Zouma, Rudiger, Emerson; Kante, Jorginho; Ziyech, Mount, Hudson-Odoi; Abraham

Rennes possible starting lineup:
Gomis; Traore, Da Silva, Aguerd; Dalbert; Bourigeaud, Nzonzi, Martin; Doku, Guirassy, Terrier

SM words green background

We say: Chelsea 3-1 Rennes

If Lampard opts to make changes to his starting lineup, this game could prove more competitive than many people are anticipating. However, Chelsea should still be able to churn out a result at a time when they will want to put distance between themselves and the chasing pack.

Top betting tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting a home win in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.

Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Chelsea win with a probability of 58.84%. A draw had a probability of 26.3% and a win for Rennes had a probability of 14.85%.

The most likely scoreline for a Chelsea win was 1-0 with a probability of 18.59%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (13.75%) and 2-1 (8.18%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 0-0 (12.56%), while for a Rennes win it was 0-1 (7.47%). The actual scoreline of 3-0 was predicted with a 6.8% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Chelsea would win this match.