Wary! AC Milan's European opponents have won eight games in a row, scoring an average of 25 pcs!
Milan's rival Rennes, with eight wins in a row, is averaging 25 goals. Rennes' players have more experience in the Europa League than Milan's. Despite being on their home turf, Milan could not afford to underestimate the quality of their opponents.
AC Milan secured their place in the Europa League with a 2-1 win over Newcastle in their final Champions League fixture. However, the Europa League and the European Champions Cup are two different things, with the Europa League having a total prize fund of 2 billion euros and the Europa League having a total prize fund of only 465 million, less than the latter's 1 4.
Milan have already received €500,000 in prize money from Europa League qualifying, while Milan can take home a €120,000 bonus after knocking out Rennes. The quarterfinals will be awarded €1.8 million, the semi-finals will be awarded €2.8 million, and the eventual winner will receive €6 million and €4 million in prize money. If you take into account the possible box office revenues, market share and prize money from the UEFA Super Cup qualifiers, the winner would earn up to 40 million euros.
In Europe"Second-rate"Spending €40 million in the league is a big number, but it will only be possible if Milan can beat Rennes and the French powerhouse have been in excellent form lately. Rennes are 13th in the league in the Europa League qualifying draw with 3 wins, 7 draws and 6 defeats. They began to explode at the end of December last year, winning eight consecutive Ligue 1 and French cups to an average of 25 goals to rank 7th.
Rennes' players only have more experience in the Europa League, while Milan's have more experience. Including the number of Europa League appearances, Rennes' players have a total of 230 Europa League appearances, with the most experienced being goalkeeper Mandanda with 56 Europa League appearances, followed by Bruno with 27 appearances. Milan made 210 appearances, with Kjaer leading 40 and Olivier Giroud 22.
Milan's lack of Europa League experience is largely due to the fact that their main game is the Champions League, and Rennes played just one Champions League game in the 2021 season, losing by one point in six games. When European competitions are included, Milan's squad has played 671 games, compared to Rennes' 370. During that time, Olivier Giroud, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Chuukweze played for Chelsea as they won the Europa League for Villarreal.
Milan will be mindful that this clash with Rennes will be focused on the opposing two. Right wing-back Brignot is the absolute heart of the French team, scoring seven shots and five crosses this season, and these 45 vital passes are among the top three in Ligue 1. Theo plays at left-back, so he has to take on more defensive responsibilities.
Rennes also have a strong defender, 23-year-old midfielder Omari. The other interceptor, Tite, is more famous and more valuable than O'Maari, but the former is a little less defensive in the air, while the latter is a reliable defender in one-on-one situations with excellent ball awareness. He is an excellent defender, he has four tackles in the league and is currently top of Ligue 1. Milan started a quick counter-attack, while Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic needed to find a way to break down the goal.