STADE RENNAIS
Pre-season match, Roazhon Park, Saturday 29 July 2023, 6pm CEST (5pm BST)
Pre-season preparations for the 2023/24 season continue as West Ham United get set for a trip to northwestern France and the penultimate match of the summer schedule.
David Moyes will have almost his full senior squad to select from when the Hammers travel across the English Channel to play Ligue 1 side Stade Rennais after the players who participated in international action over the summer linked back up with the rest of the team at Rush Green earlier this week.
The two teams have never played each other before, but Saturday’s hosts are familiar to defender Nayef Aguerd. The Morocco international joined the Irons from Rennes last summer after 79 appearances over a two-year spell for the French side.
How to get there…
West Ham United fans can reach Rennes from London by taking the Eurostar from London to Paris Gare du Nord, and then catching a train on the TGV network between Paris Montparnasse and Rennes. These take just under 90 minutes and run approximately every half-an-hour.
Should you wish to fly, the Rennes–Saint-Jacques airport is less than 20 minutes away from the city centre. An Easyjet flight leaves London Gatwick at 1.40pm on Friday.
If you fancy driving, take the ferry or Eurotunnel to northern France. Drive west along the A16 and A28 before continuing onto the A13 westbound. Take the A84 past Caen, which will feed you all the way into Rennes. It is approximately 325 milles' drive from Calais to Rennes.
Where to stay…
As the capital of Brittany, Rennes is a popular tourism hotspot; one celebrated for its art, history and architecture. As such, there are a range of hotel options throughout the city.
The home of Stade Rennais, Roazhan Park, is on the far west of the city, and there are an abundance of options for visiting supporters. High-end hotels, complete with spas, are available, as are lower-budget options, all of which are within just a couple of miles of the stadium.
What to do…
Football fans with any idle time prior to Saturday’s pre-season fixture will not be short of options for how to fill their day, with Rennes home to some incredible sights and attractions.
Not far from the 15th-century Portes Mordelaises gate, formerly the city's main entrance (and through which the Dukes of Brittany passed when Rennes was their seat), is Saint-Pierre cathedral, a richly decorated 19th-century building.
The fine art museum is home to paintings from the 14th to the 20th century, and in particular the famous work by Georges La Tour, The Newborn, while the Brittany Museum is dedicated to the history of Brittany and houses archaeological collections, currencies collections, medals, and photos.
Elsewhere, the Pays de Renne heritage museum, situated south of the city, recounts five centuries of history of the Bintinais farm through an exhibition of objects and room reconstructions.
With fans likely to be in Rennes on Saturday too, the big marché aux Lices market is held every Saturday morning in Lices square and is widely considered a 'must-see' of culture and life in the Brittany capital.
If none of these aspects take your fancy, then there are plenty of places to grab a drink and just relax in Rennes' historic centre, which combines the cathedral and beautifully decorated, narrow streets.
What’s happened there before…
Seeing as West Ham United and Stade Rennais have never met before, either in competitive or pre-season action, it is hardly a surprise to learn that the Hammers are making their first visit to Roazhon Park on Saturday.
Opened in 1912, the stadium was rebuilt in 2001 and has played host to both men’s and women’s national-team matches. Most recently, it served as a venue for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, hosting Sweden’s 2-1 quarter-final win over Germany.
While Saturday will be a first game against Rennes for the Irons, we have made several trips to play French opponents throughout the Club’s history.
Two such matches occurred in 2022. Manager Moyes and his squad travelled to face RC Lens in a pre-season match in July 2022, which ended in a 0-0 draw, while the Claret and Blue Army will never forget a famous 3-0 win over Olympique Lyonnais at the Groupama Stadium in April 2022; one which sent West Ham into the UEFA Europa League semi-finals.
