Forgotten, the sluggish start to the week for Paris Saint-Germain and the painful Wednesday for RC Lens in the Champions League. French clubs were smiling again on Thursday thanks to an almost full box in the Europa League and Conference League. In addition to the spectacular victory of OM against Ajax (4-3), we must also highlight the victory of Stade Rennais (3-0) against Maccabi Haifa and the somewhat sad draw of Téfécé (0-0) against the Saint-Gilloise Union. In C4, Losc took the lead in their group by beating Ljubjana on their lawn (2-0).
Thanks to their results, OM and Rennes are guaranteed to compete in at least the play-offs (round of 16) of the Europa League. Being very optimistic, we can imagine a direct qualification in the round of 16 for the two French clubs, especially for the Marseillais, who seem to have found an outlet in this European Cup. TFC only needs one point to reach the play-offs and is guaranteed, at worst, to play in the Conference play-offs, just like Losc which can nevertheless ensure its direct qualification for the C4 round of 16 by ensuring the first place in his group on the last day.
UEFA Index: France is hot on the heels of the Netherlands
So many results which boost France’s UEFA index, which is holding its own in its long-distance duel with the Netherlands. Depending on the possible qualifications, which are much more numerous for French than Dutch clubs, Ligue 1 should be able to move back to 5th place at the end of the group stages, or at least get very seriously closer to their rivals. The gap is currently 0.769 points (57.100 against 56.331).