AC Milan will host Rennes in the first leg of UEL's last 16

The seven-time UCL winners AC Milan will Host the French club Rennes at the San Siro in the first leg of the 2023/2024 Europa League knockout phase playoffs on Thursday, 15 February 2024. The Rossoneri was shipwrecked in this competition after being eliminated from the Champions League group phase. Milan finished third in their group, unable to compete with Borussia Dortmund and Rennes' opponents, PSG. Against another French club, Milan lost 0-3 in Paris but was able to respond with a 2-1 win at San Siro and clinched a victory thanks to goals from Rafael Leao and Olivier Giroud.

Meanwhile, Rennes was the runner-up in Group F of the Europa League this season, they finished with 12 points (W4-D0-L2), just one point behind Villarreal. Les Rennais scored 13 goals and conceded six goals in six group-stage matches. Of the 13 goals, the most goals were contributed by Ludovic Blas, namely three goals for the French club.

Milan and Rennes will meet for the first time in a competitive fixture, with Stefano Pioli-led Milan progressing through four of their last five knockout ties against French opposition in major European competition, the most recent of which saw the Italian club eliminate Lyon at the quarter-final stage of 2005/06. It is going be Rennes' fifth game against an Italian opponent in the UEL, after two group-stage meetings with Udinese in the 2011/12 season which ended in a draw and defeat each and then with Lazio in the 2019/20 campaign which ended with a win and a draw, with the French club winning 2-0 at home in the most recent of those.