Team
news and stats ahead of Rennes vs Chelsea in the Champions League group
stage on Tuesday; kick-off 5.55pm.
Team news
Chelsea winger Christian Pulisic should be fit to face Tottenham on Sunday -
but Tuesday's Champions League game will come too early for the USA
international.
Pulisic has been sidelined for a month with a hamstring injury and will not
travel to Rennes for the European clash.
Kai Havertz and Thiago Silva, who sat out the weekend win at Newcastle, are
in the squad to face Rennes.
Rennes will be without loan centre-back Daniele Rugani due to a thigh
injury, while fellow loan defender Dalbert Henrique, who was sent off in the
return game at Stamford Bridge, is suspended.
Opta stats
The first European encounter between Rennes and Chelsea was on MD3 of this
season's UEFA Champions League, with the Blues winning 3-0 at Stamford
Bridge.
Rennes have hosted English teams twice previously in European competition
and won both games, beating Aston Villa in July 2001 in the Intertoto Cup
and Arsenal in March 2019 in the UEFA Europa League.
Chelsea have won just two of their nine away UEFA Champions League matches
in France (D2 L5), though won on their last visit there last season, beating
Lille 2-1 in the group stage.
Rennes are yet to win in any of their three UEFA Champions League matches so
far (D1 L2) and are only the second French side to fail to win any of their
first three games in the competition, after Montpellier (winless in first
six).
Chelsea are looking to win three consecutive UEFA Champions League matches
for the first time since December 2015, while they haven't won three in a
row without conceding since November 2013.
Rennes have lost seven of their last 10 matches in the UEFA Europa
League/Champions League (W1 D2), although only one of those defeats was in a
home match, losing 1-0 against CFR Cluj in October 2019 in the Europa
League.
Only Marseille (0 goals from 19 shots) have a worse shot conversion rate
than Rennes (1 goal from 29 shots, 3.5%) in the UEFA Champions League this
season. None of Rennes' players have attempted more than four shots so far
(Serhou Guirassy the most, 4).
Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham is looking to become the first Blues player to
score in four consecutive UEFA Champions League starts since Nicolas Anelka
in February 2011 (five in a row).
Rennes have used five teenagers in the UEFA Champions League this season,
two more than any other club (Camavinga, Doku, Truffert, Soppy, Gboho). They
have given at least one teenage debut in each game, with only Bayer
Leverkusen between February and October 2014 giving a teenager a debut in
four consecutive matches.
All three of Timo Werner's UEFA Champions League goals for Chelsea have been
penalties - indeed, the German's last five goals in the competition have
been from the penalty spot, the joint-longest run of consecutive goals as
penalties by a player along with former Sparta Prague defender Vladimir
Labant (five in a row between 1999 and 2001).
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