Juventus Vs Rennes [2-2] Europa League 2026/2027: How I Bianconeri Created Chances But Failed To Finish The Job - Tactical Analysis

Juventus hosted Rennes at the Juventus Stadium for their third match of the 2026/2027 UEFA Europa League, and the match ended with a frustrating 2-2 draw for Juventus, one that can be considered a positive result for Rennes.

For Rennes, it is a point won away from home against a prestigious and powerful team, despite the latter's current issues.

For Juventus, it is certainly a negative result since Juventus already lost in their previous Serie A match against Lazio painfully and wanted to show a reaction in this match, especially since they were playing at home.

That’s why this draw felt like a loss for I Bianconeri, who were superior to Rennes on paper.

That said, Juventus did not lose much in their race for the top spots in the standings of the UEFA Europa League, as they are only two points away from the top spot, with two wins and one draw.

On the other hand, Franck Haise’s side is also in a relatively good position, as they have two draws and one win so far, holding the 13th spot with five points.

Juventus still have the chance to show a reaction in Serie A against Lecce, while Rennes will be hosting Strasbourg in Ligue 1.

In this tactical analysis, we focus on Luciano Spalletti’s attacking tactics, and especially his team’s high recoveries and how Juventus dealt with what happened following those recoveries.

Juventus Vs Rennes Lineups & Formations

Juventus Lineup Vs Rennes

For Juventus, Spalletti used a 3-5-2 formation with Guglielmo Vicario as the goalkeeper, and a back-three made up of Bremer, Federico Gatti, and Lloyd Kelly.  

In midfield, he used Douglas Luiz and Teun Koopmeiners as central midfielders, with Weston McKennie being the third central midfielder and advancing a lot towards the right wing in the attacking phase.

Both Zeki Çelik and Andrea Cambiaso played as wing-backs, while Randal Kolo Muani and Nick Woltemade started as the attacking duo, with Kolo Muani leaning a lot towards the left-wing, and Woltemade retreating continuously to support in the playmaking process.

Rennes Lineup Vs Juventus

As for Rennes, Haise relied on a 3-5-2 formation too, with Brice Samba as the goalkeeper, and a defensive trio made up of Abdelhamid Ait Boudlal, Charlie Cresswell, and Anthony Rouault.

In midfield, he used Valentin Rongier as the defensive midfielder, Mahdi Camara and Adrien Thomasson as central midfielders, and both Bryan Reynolds and Mahamadou Nagida as wing-backs.

In attack, he relied on both Mousa Al-Tamari and Boulaye Dia as the attacking duo.

Juventus Initial High-Press

Juventus started the match well with a positive attitude with and without the ball.

They played with intensity in the opening minutes and tried to surprise Rennes quickly using a vertical-based style, whether with short passes or with long ones towards Woltemade or Kolo Muani.

This helped them impose their game and remain inside Rennes’ half.

What made them become even more threatening to Rennes was their attitude and movements when losing the ball and when being out of possession.

In these situations, Juventus did not try to regroup and retreat but showed a desire to make high recoveries through a systematic high press.

This high press on Rennes’ defenders and midfielders was combined with a high defensive block to keep Rennes away from dangerous zones even if they surpassed their high press.

Juventus succeeded in creating an action that showcases this initial plan perfectly, even though the action did not lead to scoring.

It all started with a Rennes build-up from the back and a high press from Woltemade and McKennie.

Obviously, Rennes’ players opted for the inviting vertical solution, but they did not expect Juventus’ players to anticipate such passes and be decisive in such situations.

Gatti proved them wrong and made Rennes regret not advancing through the wings as he anticipated and intercepted the pass using a sliding tackle, offering the chance for Luiz to launch a quick counterattack.

With a quick circulation of the ball from Luiz to Kolo Muani and then to Koopmeiners, the latter found the quickest advancing solution by providing a cross towards McKennie, who provided a very useful vertical passing option at the back of Rennes’ defence.

McKennie also made sure to provide an assist to Woltemade, acting like a real advanced playmaker in this situation and creating a goalscoring chance for his teammate.

However, the only negative in this action was Woltemade’s finishing, which lacked accuracy and body coordination, as if he was surprised by the accurate assist.

Even though he should have done better here, the whole action highlighted Juventus’ very positive and intense attitude when out of possession and in their attempts to advance quickly and benefit from their high recoveries.