2023/2024 EL Group F: Villarreal - Rennes - M. Haifa - Panathinaikos

[Dragonite]

[Jua Ferreira]

Prediction

Rennes
Villarreal
Panathinaikos
Maccabi Haifa

[Firnen]

Prediction

1. Rennes
2. Villareal
3. Panathinaikos
4. Maccabi Haifa

[bugylibicska]

1.Villarreal
2.Rennes
3.Panathinaikos
4.Maccabi Haifa

[bugylibicska]

Villarreal 1.57
Rennes 3.25
Panathinaikos 11.00
Maccabi Haifa 12.00

[og2002gr]

1.Villarreal 70%
2.Rennes 55%
3.Panathinaikos 40%
4.Maccabi Haifa 35%

Another weird group, were no team played in EL QR (2 CL drop outs / 2 direct qualifications).

Villarreal is the favorite, so I expect them to finish first.

I underestimated Rennes who counts 5 GS in a row.
All kinds of GS: EL-EL-CL-ECL-EL.
CL was hard for them (4th), ECL was easy for them (1st).
EL was mixed: two 2nd and one 4th place in relatively easy groups. Time for a 3rd place?

Maccabi Haifa is amazing in QR but terrible in GS. This is GS so I don't expect them to qualify.

Unlike the other 3 teams, Group Stage is a new experience for Panathinaikos. As it was a new experience playing in CL QR.
I expect zero points against Villarreal (PAO always fails against ESP-POR teams, even when they are at the same level).
I expect PAO to win h2h against Maccabi Haifa, so it is a matter of Rennes' form whether there will be a challenge for 2nd place.

[Dragonite]

Villarreal



--> 9th participation in the EL group stages
--> Always advanced from the group stages
--> Manager: Pacheta (0-0-0)
--> Squad EL experience: 361 matches




Rennes



--> 5th participation in the EL group stages
--> Advanced from the group stages 2 times (50%)
--> Manager: Bruno Génésio (15-5-6)
--> Squad EL experience: 165 matches




M. Haifa



--> 3rd participation in the EL group stages
--> Never advanced from the group stages
--> Manager: Mesaye Degu (0-0-0)
--> Squad EL experience: 65 matches




Panathinaikos



--> 5th participation in the EL group stages
--> Advanced from the group stages 1 time (25%)
--> Manager: Ivan Jovanovic (0-0-0)
--> Squad EL experience: 105 matches




Prediction:
1. Rennes
2. Villarreal
3. Panathinaikos
4. M. Haifa

[Polak]

This is another one of those groups where 1st place seems obvious. Villarreal won their Conference League group with a B team but they got knocked out. Here I suspect they'll play a stronger team. Any of the others could finish in any position.

1. Villarreal
2. Rennes
3. Panathinaikos
4. Maccabi Haifa

[seso]

The day has come for the big match!!

A nice article about Pana on the site of Villareal:
https://villarrealcf.es/panathinaikos-f ... pa-league/

[seso]

And what a match it was!!

Some sweet minutes of play for Aitor Cantalapiedra against his former club!

[bugylibicska]

To win the group:

Rennes 2.20
Villarreal 2.30
Panathinaikos 5.00
Maccabi Haifa 29.00

[EarlofBug]

Maccabi Haifa started off badly. It did not help having an inexperienced coach in Europe, but the schedule was bad, starting away at the most difficult opposition. If it was played in Haifa, I can see a different outcome...
Anyway, this is looking good for the future, and I'm expecing Haifa to get thrashed and finish last. Vilarreal will want to bounce from the defeat to Panathinaikos, and Pana will be very motivated after their first win, so I'm not seeing good chances for Haifa to make points in this group, but at home everything is possible...
The next match is a must win for Haifa, if they want to do something in this European season.

[Sillu1991]

I predict
1. Rennes
2. Panathinaikos
3. Villareal
4. Maccabi Haifa

[Dragonite]

Congratulations Panathinaikos!


They finally won an EL match again! Their previous win was over a decade ago, on November 2012 against Maribor. After that they couldn't win any of their following 13 EL matches.

And this wasn't just any win, it was the second biggest win in their EL history, only behind a 3-0 win against Dinamo Bucharest in 2009. All their other wins were by 1 goal difference.

This is another glorious chapter in the career of Ivan Jovanovic. He was famous for taking APOEL to the CL quarters in 2012. Now he'll also be famous as the man that resurrected Panathinaikos!

Actually he gets bonus points, not only he resurrected Panathinaikos that was on a winless streak of 13 EL matches, he also did it against Villarreal that was on an undefeated streak of 15 EL matches!!!


On the other match, expected win for Rennes.

It was the biggest win in their EL history.

And it was also the biggest defeat in Maccabi Haifa's EL history, alongside another 0-3 defeat against Schalke 04 in 2011.

[matt]

I already wrote yesterday that Villarreal win was very lucky. Rennes played a good football. In December they have the opportunity to get revenge against the Spanish team at home. Before that they have three games, the first of them in Greece against Panathinaikos, a good test.