SM
Man Utd vs. Chelsea: 19 hrs 56 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
Collect News Data
R
Ligue 1 | Gameweek 26
Mar 17, 2024 at 4.05pm UK
Roazhon Park
M

Rennes
2 - 0
Marseille

Terrier (21'), Bourigeaud (77' pen.)
Kalimuendo (77')
FT(HT: 1-0)

Harit (38'), Lopez (76'), Sarr (80')

Preview: Rennes vs. Marseille - prediction, team news, lineups

:Headline: Preview: Rennes vs. Marseille - prediction, team news, lineups:
Sports Mole previews Sunday's Ligue 1 clash between Rennes and Marseille, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Sports Mole

Both aiming to narrow the gap to the top five in the Ligue 1 table and strengthen their bid for European qualification, Rennes and Marseille will square off in an important contest at Roazhon Park on Sunday.

The visitors currently sit seventh in France's top flight, three points ahead of their hosts and three points off fifth and fourth spots.


Match preview

Rennes head into the weekend aiming to return to winning ways in Ligue 1, having seen their top-five charge halted in recent weeks in the search for European qualification.

After enduring a dismal start to the top-flight campaign by their own standards, amassing just 16 points from their first 16 games, Les Rouge et Noirs moved into contention for a top-five spot with an eye-catching upturn in form, putting six consecutive wins together between late December and mid-February, scoring 14 goals along the way while only conceding five.

Julien Stephan's men then added to that run with a creditable 1-1 draw away at Paris Saint-Germain, albeit only being pegged back in injury time after Amine Gouiri's opener, before their streak was halted at home to Lorient at the beginning of the month, eventually falling to a 2-1 defeat with Gouiri's injury-time goal coming too late to force a turnaround.

Setting out to quickly return to winning ways and ramp up their pursuit of the European spots, Les Rouge et Noirs most recently faced a tough trip to fourth-placed Lille last Sunday and looked set to take all three points from an impressive 2-0 triumph, having led until the final 10 minutes through Ludovic Blas and Arnaud Kalimuendo, only for Jonathan David to level the scores with a late brace, with the equaliser coming two minutes into injury time.

Left wounded by that late setback and six points behind fourth and fifth places with nine games to go, Rennes have little more room for error if they are to challenge for a European spot and will be desperate to bounce back against a fellow top-five-chasing side on Sunday.

Their visitors make the trip for a true six-pointer having improved their standing in the fight at the top end of Ligue 1 in recent weeks, leapfrogging their hosts in the process.

In a Ligue 1 campaign which has lacked consistency, Marseille sat in a disappointing mid-table position in mid-February, as a six-match winless streak left them on just 30 points from 22 outings.

They appear to have turned a corner in recent weeks under the new management of Jean-Louis Gasset, though, having since put three consecutive top-flight wins together to move back into the top-five picture, firstly handing out 4-1 and 5-1 thrashings to Montpellier HSC and Clermont respectively.

Les Olympiens then hosted Nantes last Sunday and made it three consecutive three-point hauls in relatively comfortable fashion, as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang netted a goal in each half, before they most recently travelled to Villarreal on Thursday for the second leg of a Europa League tie and lost 3-1, being enough to book their quarter-final place nonetheless after last week's 4-0 home win.

Having seemingly rediscovered their groove under new management and moved within three points of fourth and fifth spots, Marseille will bid to keep building momentum and to narrow the gap further with a fourth straight Ligue 1 victory at the weekend.

Rennes Ligue 1 form:


Rennes form (all competitions):


Marseille Ligue 1 form:


Marseille form (all competitions):



Team News

Rennes head into Sunday's meeting without key midfielder Enzo Le Fee, who has been sidelined by injury since early February, while Fabian Rieder and Mahamadou Nagida also remain confined to the treatment room.

Julien Stephan is unlikely to make many changes to his starting XI from the draw with Lille last time out, and Arnaud Kalimuendo is bound to again lead the line having hit his 11th goal of the season in that match.

Ludovic Blas, who also got on the scoresheet, will continue to join Amine Gouiri and top scorer Benjamin Bourigeaud in a dangerous supporting trio, while Azor Matusiwa and Baptiste Santamaria should again partner up at the base of the midfield.

Marseille continue to deal with a long list of enforced absences, with Valentin Rongier, Samuel Gigot, Michael Murillo and Bilal Nadir remaining confined to the treatment room.

Jean-Louis Gasset made several rotations for their midweek trip to Villarreal, and he should revert to a full-strength starting XI on Sunday, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang bound to come back in from the outset and lead the line having netted 11 Ligue 1 goals alongside seven assists so far this term.

Ismaila Sarr and Iliman Ndiaye may again join him up top, while Amine Harit will return to the midfield, with Leonardo Balerdi and Chancel Mbemba continuing at the heart of the defence.


Rennes possible starting lineup:
Mandanda; Doue, Wooh, Theate, Truffert; Santamaria, Matusiwa; Bourigeaud, Gouiri, Blas; Kalimuendo

Marseille possible starting lineup:
Lopez; Meite, Mbemba, Balerdi, Merlin; Harit, Kondogbia, Veretout; Sarr, Aubameyang, Ndiaye


We say: Rennes 1-2 Marseille

Both sides will be desperate for three points in a pivotal contest in the top-five race, and despite facing a tough trip, Marseille are in fine fettle under new management and playing to their full potential, and we fancy them to make it four Ligue 1 wins on the bounce as a result.


For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.


body check tags ::

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


amp_article__538991 : Collect and Make Data not in DataBase  : 
last updated article - 2024-03-15 18:17:04:
html db last update - 2024-03-15 18:17:04 :

ex - 7200 : read : write cache and make html
Read more!
Share this article now:


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!
Recommended Next on SM
Sunday's Ligue 1 predictions including PSG vs. Reims
Pain for Guardiola! Champions Man City shocked by Bournemouth at Vitality Stadium
The Porto plan: Real Madrid goalkeeper to be part of £67m swap?
Preview: Auxerre vs. Rennes - prediction, team news, lineups
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Paris Saint-GermainPSG108202982126
2MonacoMonaco10622157820
3Lille10532169718
4Marseille952221111017
5Nice104421991016
6Lyon104331715215
7Reims94231614214
8Lens1035297214
9StrasbourgStrasbourg93421917213
10Brest104151316-313
11Rennes93241312111
12NantesNantes92431112-110
13Auxerre93151318-510
14Angers102441116-510
15Toulouse92341011-19
16Saint-EtienneSt Etienne9216824-167
17Le HavreLe Havre9207720-136
18Montpellier HSCMontpellier9117829-214
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

history www

Erling Haaland's record vs. Bournemouth

1

EH

Team News: Man Utd vs. Chelsea injury, suspension list, predicted XIs

2

TN

Reports suggest Audi-Sauber seals Bortoleto deal

NEW

3

RS

Best ever - Slot's record-breaking start to life as Liverpool boss confirmed

NEW

4

BE

Bournemouth vs. Man City: Head-to-head record and past meetings

5

BV

Phil Foden's record vs. Bournemouth

6

PF

What's next for Ruud? Man United players 'make feelings clear' on Van Nistelrooy

7

WN

Slot at the summit: Liverpool top the table with comeback Brighton win

8

SA

Team News: Barcelona vs. Espanyol injury, suspension list, predicted XIs

9

TN

Pain for Guardiola! Champions Man City shocked by Bournemouth at Vitality Stadium

10

PF


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .