Olympiacos at Rennes moved to Wednesday 4 November at 17:30 over protests and strike

A new date and time

Olympiacos will now play its fourth League Phase matchday away game at Rennes on Wednesday 4 November at 17:30 Greek time. That is one day earlier than the original plan, which had the match on Thursday 5 November at 19:45. Olympiacos announced the change on its official social media accounts on Tuesday 27 October, and the match will still be played at Roazhon Park in Rennes. The game is the second Olympiacos will play in France this season, after its 1-0 win at Marseille on matchday two.

The sequence of dates is set out in the timeline below.

Protests and a general strike in Rennes

The original date fell on the day unions have called a general strike, and large demonstrations have been announced in Brittany and particularly in Rennes. The Ille-et-Vilaine prefecture told Rennes' management that the entire available police force would be needed to handle the protests. That created serious difficulties in securing the policing the match needed, so the authorities asked for the fixture to move. Alternatives, including a change of venue, had been considered before the date was changed. The final decision followed consultations between the two clubs, the local authorities and UEFA.

Why the kick-off is at 17:30

UEFA rules do not allow a Europa League match to coincide with a Champions League fixture, and the original 19:45 kick-off clashed with a Champions League game. That is why the new start is set for 17:30, an unusually early kick-off for a Europa League match. The change therefore answered two constraints at once, the policing problem in Rennes and the scheduling rule. Olympiacos confirmed the new date and time to its supporters through its social media channels on Tuesday afternoon.

Form going into the match

Olympiacos has won its first three League Phase matches, collecting nine points and sitting near the top of the standings. Rennes is 13th with five points from the same three matchdays. The Rennes trip is the club's second game in France this season, following the 1-0 win in Marseille. The chart below compares the two clubs' points totals after three matchdays.

Olympiacos9

Rennes5

Olympiacos

9 points

Rennes

5 points

Data from the article text