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Chelsea host Rennes at Stamford Bridge in the Champions League on Wednesday night in search of another three points to stay ahead in the race for the group’s top spot.
The Blues come to the clash after an impressive 3-0 win at Turf Moor against Burnley and will look for another display of fierce attack under the lights in West London.
Rennes is currently third in Ligue 1 and its Champions League group and will be looking to build on its win against Brest on Saturday to deliver a surprise in London against the Blues.
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Chelsea’s new goalkeeper, Edouard Mendy, faces a quick reunion with Rennes, the club that switched to Stamford Bridge in September, on matchday three.
• Mendy’s new club tie Sevilla four points at the top of Group E. After a goalless draw at home to the Spanish side on Matchday 1, Chelsea managed a 4-0 win over rookie Krasnodar, their biggest UEFA champion away win since November 2017.
• This is the clubs’ first meeting and Rennes are looking for their first UEFA Champions League victory as Krasnodar drew 1-1 at home to Krasnodar on matchday one before losing 1-0 to Sevilla La last time.
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Chelsea
• Fourth in the Premier League in 2019/20, this is Chelsea’s 17th appearance in the UEFA Champions League group stage and a third in four years. The exception came in 2018/19, when they won the UEFA Europa League with Maurizio Sarri.
• Chelsea’s last four seasons in the UEFA Champions League have ended in the round of 16. In 2019/20 they were heavily beaten at home (0-3) and away (1-4) by eventual champion Bayern München at that stage. The defeat in Munich ended the London club’s ten-game unbeaten streak in Europe (7 wins and 3 draws).
• Last season, Frank Lampard’s team bounced back from Matchday 1’s loss at home to Valencia (0-1) to progress as Group H runners-up with 11 points, finishing behind the Spaniards by a record of head to head.
• Matchday 2 was just the Blues’ second victory in their last seven UEFA Champions League games (3 draws and 2 draws).
• European champions in 2012, after being runners-up four years earlier, Chelsea have reached the round of 16 14 times.
• The London side have won their UEFA Champions League group 11 times, although they have been runners-up in their section in each of their last two appearances.
• Chelsea beat LOSC Lille 2-1 away and home in last season’s UEFA Champions League group stage. Tammy Abraham scored in both matches and César Azpilicueta scored the winning goal in the second at Stamford Bridge.
• Despite those victories, Chelsea have only won three of their last nine games against French clubs, at home and away (two draws and four losses).
• However, the Blues have only lost one of their nine home games to visitors from Ligue 1 (five wins and three draws), and Paris Saint-Germain won 2-1 at Stamford Bridge in the second leg of the 2015/16 knockout stages to win the tie 4-2 on aggregate.
Rennes
• Rennes will make their European Cup debut in 2020/21 after finishing third in Ligue 1 last season.
• The Breton club have played 64 matches in UEFA competition, 42 of them in the UEFA Cup / UEFA Europa League.
• This is Rennes’ third consecutive season playing European football, a first for the club.
• After reaching the last 16 of the UEFA Europa League in 2018/19, Julien Stéphan’s side finished fourth in their section in the same competition last season, adding four points to finish behind Celtic, CFR Cluj and Lazio.
• Rennes won 2-0 at home to Lazio on matchday six of last season’s UEFA Europa League, their only victory in their last nine European matches (two draws and six losses).
• Les Rouge et Noir are the 11th Ligue 1 club to participate in the UEFA Champions League group stage and the first French debutant since Montpellier in 2012/13.
• Rennes have lost their last five European away games; A 3-1 win against Real Betis in the second leg of the 2018/19 UEFA Europa League round of 32 (6-4 on aggregate) was the last time they avoided defeat on their travels.
• Rennes have lost both away games against English clubs and won them at home. Their most recent journey ended with a 3-0 loss in London to Arsenal in the 2018/19 UEFA Europa League round of 16, which meant elimination despite a 3-1 home first leg win. ; They also fell 1-0 at Aston Villa in the second leg of the 2001 UEFA Intertoto Cup semi-final, losing the tie on away goals (2-1 h), meaning they are still looking for their first goal in England.
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