Boulaye Dia handed another Europa League start against Olympiacos

Senegalese striker Boulaye Dia will lead the attack for Stade Rennais when they host Olympiacos in the Europa League on Wednesday, following an impressive run of goalscoring form.

The forward has been named in Franck Haise’s starting line-up for the fourth matchday encounter at Roazhon Park, with kick-off scheduled for 15:30. Fellow Senegalese attacker Issa Soumaré will begin the game on the bench.

Dia heads into the European fixture in excellent form after scoring in his last three matches for Rennes.

The 29-year-old first found the net from the penalty spot in Rennes’ 2-2 draw against Juventus in their previous Europa League outing. He continued his scoring run in domestic competition, registering goals in victories over Strasbourg and Nice.

He also produced an impressive performance against Auxerre, scoring twice in a 4-1 victory to further underline his importance to the French side.

His recent contributions have taken his overall tally to five goals in all competitions this season, including four in Ligue 1 and one in the Europa League.

The encounter against Olympiacos will represent Dia’s second start in this season’s Europa League campaign. His previous appearance in the starting line-up came against Juventus, while he was introduced from the bench in Rennes’ other two European matches.

His selection comes as a reward for his recent performances, with the Senegal international expected to play an important role in Rennes’ attempt to secure another positive result.

However, the French side face a difficult challenge against an Olympiacos team that have made a stronger start to the competition.

Haise’s men currently occupy 13th position in the Europa League standings after collecting four points from their opening three matches.

Rennes began their campaign with a goalless draw against Sturm Graz before recording their only victory so far, a 2-1 success against OFI Crete.

They were unable to build on that result in their subsequent meeting with Juventus, settling for a 2-2 draw against the Italian side.

Olympiacos, meanwhile, are fifth in the standings and will travel to Brittany hoping to strengthen their position with another victory.

For Rennes, the home fixture presents an opportunity to improve their standing in the competition, while Dia’s current goalscoring form offers an important attacking boost.

The Senegalese forward will be hoping to carry his domestic form into the European encounter and help his side collect all three points against the Greek visitors.