Rennes vs Monaco

The weekend’s Ligue 1 action gets underway at Roazhon Park as third-placed Rennes play host to Champions League hopefuls Monaco in a mouth-watering affair.

With six points separating the sides ahead of the kick-off, Rennes’ potential victory here would solidify their position in the Champions League qualification run-in. Easier said than done, though, as ‘Les Rennais’ have gone winless in four of their last five Ligue 1 H2Hs (D1, L3), including a 2-1 defeat in the reverse fixture back in December. However, Bruno Genesio’s men have hit their stride down the final stretch as they head into proceedings having won six of their last seven league matches (D1).  What’s more, Rennes have turned Roazhon Park into a fortress, racking up ten triumphs from their last 12 Ligue 1 home outings (L2). In addition to netting a staggering 37 goals during that 12-game sequence, Rennes kept seven clean sheets in this period, highlighting their capability to shine on both ends of the pitch.

In the meantime, Monaco have picked themselves up from a frustrating 1-0 loss away to Strasbourg in mid-March to win their last three league games on the bounce. However, Monaco’s patchy form on the road has seen them alternate between winning (2) and not winning (D1, L1) across their last four league travels. To their credit, ‘Les Monégasques’ have kept their recent away league fixtures notably tight, with their six previous such contests yielding a full-time margin of under 1.5 goals each. Furthermore, the visitors have claimed three consecutive Ligue 1 victories against sides starting the matchday inside the top three. That could inspire Monaco’s bid to arrest a three-game winless league streak at Roazhon Park (D2, L1).