Rennes – Olympiacos: Preview
We provide insights into the upcoming encounter between Rennes and Olympiacos in the fourth round of the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League regular phase. Olympiacos has yet to lose points in the Europa League, but now faces an intriguing trip to Rennes, who remain unbeaten.
Key points
Rennes
1. In the Europa League Rennes does not lose
Recently, Rennes played one of the worst matches of the season: they lost five goals at home to Nice (2:5). It was painful, but it is only the third defeat since the start of the season. The important thing is that all defeats occurred in Ligue 1. And although the disaster on the French Riviera, Rennes remains in the top five, until then they were in second place with a small margin over the leader.
In the Europa League Rennes started with zero goals on the road to Sturm, but then we saw a determined win against OFI (2:1) and an exciting penalty shootout against Juventus in Turin (2:2). Notice the attitude: in the last two matches the team turned the game after the first goals conceded. With five points, Rennes occupies 13th place in the overall table.
2. Samba and Leppol under suspicion
Goalkeeper Brice Samba recently felt discomfort in his thigh. Because of this, he was not called up for the match against Nice. If the goalkeeper does not recover in time, Nicolás Lemaitre, 29, who has never played in European competitions, will return.
Esteban Leppol was ruled out in mid‑October. Frank Ez did not rule out the striker’s participation in the match against Olympiacos, but before the last game the French player did not even start individual training, so the probability of his return on Wednesday seems low.
3. Rennes – home team
All defeats and the majority of the failures this year were away. In away matches, Rennes only won once against Angers (2:1), and then did not win five consecutive matches.
At home the situation is completely different: Rennes beat all opponents except PSG (2:2) – and the Parisians had to save themselves with a 0:2 in the last minutes. That match took place in August, and then a winning streak began that already reached five matches. First, the result provides effectiveness in attack: on average Rennes scores 2.5 goals in 90 minutes, only Marseillaise (1:0) scored less than two. In addition, in the autumn defensive actions improved – Rennes has conceded only two goals and has had two “dirty” moments in four matches.
Olympiacos
1. Olympiacos has not stopped since September
At the beginning of autumn, the club changed managers, replacing José Luis Mendilibar with Imanol Alguacil. The debut was disastrous: Olympiacos lost at home to OFI (0:1) – it is still the only defeat in regular time this season. However, since then the Spaniard has not committed any failures.
The winning streak started precisely in the Europa League – in the first round Olympiacos beat Jagiellonia (2:1). Then they barely surpassed Marseille and Sparta Prague. Only by the modest goal difference, the Greeks are below all teams with nine points. At the same time, Olympiacos won five league matches and another in the national cup.
2. In France rotation is expected
The triumphant march of Olympiacos seems even more solid, taking into account the intense schedule. In the fight on three fronts, Alguacil makes precise substitutions even in the Europa League – and it still does not affect victories. Wednesday also expects adjustments regarding the last Greek Super League match. For example, in the opening they could field left‑back Santiago Ese and winger Jesús Martín.
3. Olympiacos impresses with reliability
In the last league match two goals were scored, but it is still the worst defensive performance under Alguacil. Previously, Olympiacos had not conceded goals for a month and a half, the drought lasted seven matches and was interrupted in 780 minutes. This period included the last two European competition matches – against Marseille and Sparta. In general, in three rounds of the Europa League only one goal was conceded – better than Bayern’s three “dirty” moments. Regarding goals scored (4), Olympiacos is in the middle of the table, but thanks to quality defensive play, this was enough for a 100 % result.
Approximate lineups 3-5-24-2-3-1
Lemaitre 24
Ruo 4
Kresswell 48
Ait Budlal 18
Nagida 45
Camara 21
Rongjie 17
Shimanskiy 95
Frankowski 11
Tamari 22
Dia 1
Ortega 2
Salias 45
Retso 5
Pirola 70
Onemaachi 15
Puerta 32
Ese 20
Pedro Silva 22
Chikino 10
Martins 11
Yermchuk
Trend betting
Rennes won one of the last four matches. Olympiacos has not stopped in nine consecutive games.
2X at 1.66.
In eight of the last nine Rennes matches in the Europa League, and also in four of six Olympiacos matches in the LE, at least three goals were scored. TB 2.5 at 1.75.
Prediction
Rennes vs Olympiacos 04.11.2026 19:30
In Rennes the highest percentage of victories is not the case, but almost all failures occur away. At home the team usually feels much more secure, it is not surprising that in the current season we see practically 100 % results – after the draw with PSG a winning streak began that reached five matches in all competitions. And in general Rennes does not lose in the Europa League – in fact, they have earned three points only in one of the three rounds, and the victory over OFI was achieved with two goals after the 75th minute. Olympiacos has not stopped since mid‑September. Alguacil’s debut match ended in defeat, but after that they have already won nine consecutive matches. During that time, the Greeks also earned nine points from nine in the LE. Olympiacos beat the trip to Marseille (1:0), and now will try again in France. However, Rennes seems stronger, so the winning streak is at risk.
Prediction: 1-1
