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Sunday sees Rennes face off against Metz in a Ligue 1 meeting at the Roazhon Park.
Rennes are currently up in fourth place in the league table, while Metz are right at the other end of things in 19th.
Can Rennes continue their hot streak, or will Metz pull off an upset to give them some hope of survival?
Rennes vs Metz Head-to-Head
With 15 wins from their first 28 games, Rennes have definitely been one of Ligue 1’s better sides this season. Currently, they’re riding a run of six wins from their last eight, and haven’t lost in four.
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Rennes’ success has been built on both their free-scoring abilities and a tight defense; only one side have scored more than their total of 57 goals, while only three teams have conceded fewer goals than them.
Rennes did play in Europe this week, but despite defeating Leicester City 2-1, they slipped out of the Europa Conference League on aggregate.
Metz, meanwhile, have struggled for traction since the start of the season and have won just four games thus far, the least of any Ligue 1 side.
Frederic Antonetti’s side avoided defeat last weekend, but their 0-0 draw with Lens wasn’t exactly impressive. In fact, it marked their fourth goalless game in a row.
Given Metz have scored just one goal since their last victory on January 16, it’s clear that their toothless nature will need to change quickly for them to survive.
Unsurprisingly, Rennes ran out 0-3 winners in their last game against Metz. You’ve got to go back to 2018 to find the last time Metz beat their hosts this weekend.
Rennes form guide: W-W-L-W-W
Metz form guide: L-D-D-L-D
Rennes vs Metz Team News
Rennes
Rennes have a total of six players likely to miss this game, with a handful of key players looking likely to be unavailable.
Injured: Romain Salin, Alfred Gomis
Doubtful: Jeremy Doku, Loic Bade, Kamaldeen Sulemana, Lesley Ugochukwu
Suspended: None
Metz
Metz also have at least eight players likely to miss out here, with Vincent Pajot suspended.
Injured: Manuel Cabit, Matthieu Udol, Fabien Centonze, Habib Maiga
Doubtful: Jean-Armel Kana-Biyik, Thomas Delaine, Boubacar Traore
Suspended: Vincent Pajot
Rennes vs Metz Predicted XI
Rennes predicted XI (4-3-3): Dogan Alemdar, Hamari Traore, Warmed Omari, Nayef Aguerd, Birger Meling, Baptiste Santamaria, Jonas Martin, Flavien Tait, Benjamin Bourigeaud, Gaetan Laborde, Martin Terrier
Metz predicted XI (3-4-1-2): Marc-Aurele Caillard, Dylan Bronn, Kiki Kouyate, Jemerson, William Mikelbrencis, Pape Sarr, Kevin N’Doram, Fali Cande, Farid Boulaya, Nicolas De Preville, Opa Nguette
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Rennes vs Metz Prediction
While Rennes did play a tough game against Leicester on Thursday, it’s probably safe to say that they should still be the favorites here.
Simply put, Metz just don’t seem to have the firepower to break down their hosts’ defense, nor do they possess a solid backline to keep them out at the other end.
A home win seems likely here.
Prediction: Rennes 2-0 Metz
