Rennes to host Brentford in pre-season friendly at Roazhon Park on August 8, 2026
Rennes will host Brentford at Roazhon Park in Rennes on Saturday, August 8, 2026, in a pre-season friendly, with the Ligue 1 side looking to continue their summer build-up and Brentford beginning their series of warm-up matches under head coach Keith Andrews.
Rennes arrive having enjoyed an encouraging summer schedule and remain unbeaten in their last three pre-season outings, while Brentford focused on physical preparation during the opening weeks of training and are staging their first pre-season fixture of the summer. The match is being treated as a preparation exercise for both clubs and offers managers an opportunity to assess their squads before competitive football resumes.
Ludovic Blas is expected to lead Rennes’ attack; he finished the 2025-26 Ligue 1 season with 10 goals and nine assists. The Rennes midfielder’s vision, dribbling and ability to create chances from set-pieces are singled out in advance as aspects Brentford will need to manage.
Igor Thiago provides Brentford’s main attacking threat after an exceptional 2025-26 campaign in which he netted 25 goals in total, 22 of them in the Premier League. The Brazilian striker’s movement in the box and finishing prowess are noted as key features of Brentford’s forward play.
Rennes have fresh injury concerns after goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson and midfielder Kim Källström picked up injuries during their previous outing, joining five first-team players who were already unavailable and leaving the Ligue 1 side with limited options. Brentford also have several absentees: Fábio Carvalho and Antoni Milambo are sidelined with knee injuries, Yegor Yarmolyuk is out with an undisclosed issue, Jordan Henderson has an injured wrist and Sepp van den Berg is unavailable through injury, though the Bees are still expected to field a competitive squad for the fixture.
These teams have never faced each other and therefore have no head-to-head record. Projected lineups named in advance are: Rennes — Belazzoug; Reynolds, Ait-Boudlal, Rouault, Nagida; Thomasson; Blas, Szymanski, Camara, Nordin; Lepaul. Brentford — Kelleher; Kayode, Van den Berg, Collins, Lewis-Potter; Sangare, Janelt; Ouattara, Jensen, Schade; Thiago. Rennes will have greater match sharpness after several pre-season games, while Brentford are expected to improve as the match progresses.
The friendly will not be shown on traditional television channels; live coverage is expected to be available through the clubs’ official digital platforms, including Brentford FC’s official website and the club’s premium streaming services, subject to regional availability. Fans are advised to check the respective club channels closer to kick-off for confirmed live streaming information.
