Rennes forward Arnaud Kalimuendo believes that his side can make history in the Europa League, but also conceding that AC Milan have players of the ‘highest quality’.
At the time of the draw Rennes were certainly finding last season tough to follow up on as they were in 13th place on 16 points after 16 matches played, but they changed coaches and since then they have had a surge.
The Rouge et Noir have been perfect so far in 2024 having won every game, and the list includes victories in the French Cup against Guingamp, Marseille and Sochaux, plus league wins over OGC Nice, Lyon, Montpellier and Le Havre.
Kalimuendo is among their most dangerous players, and he actually played together with Pierre Kalulu in the most recent U21 European Championships last summer. He has 10 goals across all competitions this season.
The forward was interviewed by L’Equipe and it was published this morning on the day of the game, with his comments relayed by MilanNews.
“They played against PSG in the Champions League and I saw them again recently against Frosinone. Clearly they are a great team, with players of the highest level like Rafael Leao or the French players,” he said.
“They were also Italian champions in 2022. It will be a very complicated match. They can do great things at San Siro but we have the opportunity to leave a mark in the history of Rennes.
“I know their history, full of great players. I have seen images of Gullit and Inzaghi. I saw the latter on YouTube and I like the way he moved: you can understand the intelligence of a player without necessarily having seen him play.
“He always had the ability to be in the right place at the right time. He wasn’t as tall as me and yet he touched a lot of balls in the area and this is always a source of inspiration.”
