Stade Rennais coach Julien Stéphan faced Betis Sevilla in the Europa League.

A nice memory.

-

Damien Meyer / AFP

  • Stade Rennais will face Sevilla FC, Chelsea and Krasnodar in the Champions League pool.

  • An affordable print that the Bretons welcome with caution and without any other pretension than to do "the best possible".

  • The Rennais will find their former goalkeeper Edouard Mendy and many former Ligue 1 players.

We really had a moving thought for the lifelong supporters of Stade Rennais.

We tried to imagine in what state of euphoria were all the weirdos who experienced the incessant climbs and descents in the 1980s, the humiliations against the neighbor from Nantes, the goal of Fauvergue in 2007 or the too many finals lost to in Guingamp or Saint-Etienne.

This Thursday evening, all these fans were rewarded.

For the first time in their history, their club will participate in the Champions League and have offered themselves an affordable draw.

We dreamed of groups from Juve and Barcelona or Liverpool, Ajax and Atalanta.

It will ultimately be Sevilla FC, Chelsea and the Russians from Krasnodar who will come to visit Roazhon Park.

In Geneva, former Guingampais Didier Drogba and Florent Malouda made a “wink” draw for Julien Stéphan's men.

First because they will soon find their cherished goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, freshly transferred for 25 potatoes to Chelsea.

We are already enjoying the distant duel between Senegal's number 1 goalkeeper and his number 2 Alfred Gomis, who had just landed in Rennes to replace him.

“When we said goodbye, we thought we would end up in the Champions League pool.

Our wish is granted ”, reacted the coach Julien Stéphan at the microphone of RMC Sport.

The Rennais will also find former Parisian captain Thiago Silva, who joined the Blues this summer, and Petr Cech, now in the English staff and who launched his monstrous career in Rennes.

We can hope to do something.


Let's dream.

😍⚫️🔴

- Laura (@ lauracoor97) October 1, 2020

Well, our story with Seville continues ... They are no longer going to be able to us 😅

- Gwenn 🏆🏆🏆 (@ Teva_35) October 1, 2020

The other nod is Spanish.

By pulling Sevilla FC, Stade Rennais has undoubtedly offered itself one of the most affordable opponents of this hat 1. History holds especially that it is thanks to a goal by the former Marseillais Lucas Ocampos against Woltherampton that Rennes got his direct ticket for the group stage of C1.

A historic qualification for the city and the club.

The Bretons could find their former defender Joris Gnagnon there and Steven Nzonzi will see his former club again.

In the staff of Seville, the French Julien Escudé, who has long evolved on the edges of Vilaine, dreamed of it.

The draw did.

Well established in Andalusia, the Nantes rock Diego Carlos and the Bordelais Jules Koundé will see the French West again.

The delicious souvenir of Seville

On the side of the supporters, we are already crying for fear of not being able to move in the Andalusian capital.

In 2019, the Bretons had written one of the most beautiful pages in their footballing history by winning 3-1 against Betis, opening the doors to the quarter-finals of the Europa League.

The 3,000 supporters present keep an intact memory of this rush of Mbaye Niang in the 94th and the party that followed.

The last Rennes opponent is not the sexiest but is already looking tough.

Also qualified for the first time in its history, Rémy Cabella's Krasnodar could be the club to beat for Rennes.

Double scorer in the barrage, the former Stéphanois is the most expensive recruit of the Russian club, founded by an oligarch a little over ten years ago.

While waiting for the unveiling of the calendar on Friday, François Pinault's club has been cautious about its ambitions.

“We are among the smallest coefficients in the competition.

I imagine the other teams will want to take six points against us.

We will try to steal as many points as possible from them, ”said Julien Stéphan.

On the networks, the supporters preferred this word: “Let's dream”.

More than 20 or 21 sleeps to wait.

Sport

Champions League: UEFA allows public return, within a limit of 30% and at the discretion of local authorities

Sport

Champions League: Some exes for PSG, Valbuena back at the Vélodrome… Everything you need to remember from the group draw

  • Soccer

  • Draw

  • Sevilla FC

  • Champions League

  • Rennais Stadium

  • Sport

  • Reindeer

  • Chelsea

  • Julien Stephan