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Saturday sees Metz take on Rennes in a Ligue 1 fixture at the Stade Saint-Symphorien.
Just one point currently separates these teams, with Metz in seventh place on 42 points and Rennes in eighth on 41.
It will be interesting to see who emerges victorious when these evenly-matched sides face off this weekend.
Metz vs Rennes Head-to-Head
Just a handful of weeks ago, Metz looked like potential contenders for a European qualifying place in Ligue 1.
Their last-gasp win over Bordeaux on 27 February moved them up to fifth place in the table. However, a subsequent loss to Angers and a draw with Lens has seen them slip three points behind Marseille.
Metz’ biggest strength is still their tough defense, as they’ve let in just 29 goals this season. Only Ligue 1’s top three teams have conceded fewer goals.
Meanwhile, Rennes picked up a huge win over Strasbourg last weekend, with Benjamin Bourigeaud’s first-half goal making the difference.
The victory ended an eight-match winless stretch for Rennes. That poor run saw boss Julien Stephan replaced by Bruno Genesio in the early days of March.
Like their opponents this weekend, Rennes have a tight defense, with only 32 goals conceded this season. Even during their bad run, they weren’t leaking goals.
These sides last faced off in December, with Rennes winning the game 1-0. Metz have just one win over Rennes in their last six meetings – a 1-2 victory in April 2018.
Metz form guide: W-W-L-W-D
Rennes form guide: L-L-L-L-W
Metz vs Rennes Team News
Metz
Metz have five players injured for this game, with three of them ruled out until the end of the 2020-21 campaign.
They will also be without suspended goalkeeper Alexandre Oukidja. He was sent off and banned for four matches after completely losing the plot against Angers.
Injured: Warren Tchimbembe, Opa Nguette, Kevin N’Doram, Ibrahima Niane, Manuel Cabit
Doubtful: None
Suspended: Alexandre Oukidja
Rennes
Rennes have just two injury concerns for this game, with Jonas Martin and Clement Grenier expected to miss out.
Injured: Jonas Martin, Clement Grenier
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Metz vs Rennes Predicted XI
Metz predicted XI (3-4-1-2): Marc-Aurele Caillard, Dylan Bronn, Kiki Kouyate, John Boye, Fabien Centonze, Vincent Pajot, Pape Sarr, Thomas Delaine, Lamine Gueye, Aaron Leya Iseka
Rennes predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Alfred Gomis, Hamari Traore, Damien Da Silva, Nayef Aguerd, Adrien Truffert, Eduardo Camavinga, Steven Nzonzi, Benjamin Bourigeaud, Flavien Tait, Jeremy Doku, Martin Terrier
Metz vs Rennes Prediction
With both sides possessing extremely tight defenses, this is likely to be a low-scoring game.
Rennes probably have slightly more momentum following their win last weekend, but they may still find it hard to break down a tough Metz side.
With that in mind, a draw is probably the most likely outcome in this game.
Prediction: Metz 1-1 Rennes
