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Ligue 1 action continues in France with Nice hosting Rennes on Sunday at the Allianz Rivera stadium as both teams look to overturn their recent poor run of results.
Nice's Europa League campaign ended in disappointment on Friday, finishing bottom of Group C after the defeat to Hapoel Be'er Sheva. They are looking to bounce back in the French league, where they have managed only one point from their previous three games.
Nice are without a win in their previous seven games in all competitions. Six of those have been defeats alongside one draw which came in their previous Ligue 1 game against Reims last weekend.
The dismal run led to the sacking of their manager - legendary former player Patrick Vieira. Vieira's former assistant Adrian Ursea has now taken the reigns at the club and has a tough task ahead if he is to turn around his team's fortunes.
Rennes were a side that looked set to challenge for European spots once again, with 18 points from their opening nine games in the league. But a single point from their previous four Ligue 1 fixtures have left them ninth in the table.
The club also fell out of European competition after finishing bottom of their Champions League group with only one point from six games.
In their previous Ligue 1 game, Rennes lost 2-0 to fellow European challengers Lens despite dominating a good part of the game.
Julien Stephan's side will look to bounce back strongly against a struggling Nice, and get their season back on track before things become worse.
Nice vs Rennes Head-to-Head
The two clubs have faced off in Ligue 1 31 times since 2006. Nice lead the overall head-to-head record and are undefeated in their previous 10 games against Rennes, winning six of those meetings with four ending in draws.
Rennes will be eager to end their five-season-long winless run against Sunday's opposition.
Form guide (all competitions)
Nice: L-D-L-L-L
Rennes: L-L-L-D-L
Nice vs Rennes Team News
Nice will be without their experienced centre-back Dante, while right-back Youcef Atal and striker Kasper Dolberg are yet to return from their injuries. Flavius Daniliuc sat out the loss to Be'er Sheva with a groin problem and remains doubtful for Sunday's game.
Injuries: Kasper Dolberg, Youcef Atal, Dante
Doubtful: Flavius Daniliuc
For Rennes; Serhou Guirassy, Daniele Rugani and Romain Del Castillo are unavailable for the trip to Nice due to injuries. Martin Terrier tested positive for coronavirus and will not feature in the match. Nayef Aguerd and Alfred Gomis are expected to return, but the extent of their roles in the match remain unknown.
Injuries: Serhou Guirassy, Daniele Rugani and Romain Del Castillo
Doubtful: Nayef Aguerd, Alfred Gomis
COVID-19: Martin Terrier
Nice vs Rennes Predicted Lineup
Nice Predicted XI (3-4-3): Walter Benitez; Andy Pelmard, Stanley Nsoki, Danilo; Jordan Lotomba, Morgan Schneiderlin, Hicham Boudaoui, Hassane Kamara; Rony Lopes, Amine Gouiri, Jeff Reine-Adelaide
Rennes predicted XI (4-1-4-1): Alfred Gomis; Hamari Traore, Nayef Aguerd, Damien Da Silva, Adrien Truffert; Steven Nzonzi; Jeremy Doku, Eduardo Camavinga, Benjamin Bourigeaud, Yann Gboho; M'Baye Niang
Nice vs Rennes Prediction
After a long run of poor results, it seems unlikely that Nice hit the ground running under new manager Ursea. Les Aiglons are yet to score a goal in two games under the Romanian.
Rennes are struggling for goals; getting on the scoresheet only three times in their last eight games in all compeitions.
In such circumstances, a draw looks like the most probable result, but we have a feeling that Nice will be able to snatch a narrow victory when all is said and done.
Prediction: Nice 2-1 Rennes
