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Sunday sees Rennes take on Troyes in a Ligue 1 game at the Roazhon Park.
Rennes are currently in fifth place in the league table, while Troyes sit in 16th place, and are only out of the drop zone on goal difference.
Can Rennes brush aside their opponents this weekend, or will Troyes pull off a slight upset?
Rennes vs Troyes Head-to-Head
An excellent run of form in the first half of the season saw Rennes climb as high as second place in the table, but since December, they have fallen off a cliff of sorts.
Bruno Genesio’s side have collected just nine points from their last nine games, and while the three wins they pulled off were impressive – particularly a 6-0 thrashing of Bordeaux – the fact that they’ve fallen to so many of their top-half rivals is concerning.
Given that they sit just five points behind third place Nice, there’s still a chance that they could qualify for the Champions League next season, but they’ll need to pick up their form soon to do so.
Troyes, meanwhile, have been largely struggling throughout the current campaign after being promoted from Ligue 2 last season.
They did climb up to 13th place back in September, but have steadily fallen down the table since, and have won just once in their last eight games – their only victory under new manager Bruno Irles.
Most recently, Troyes were hammered 5-1 by Brest, a highly concerning result given that the only thing keeping them away from the drop zone is goal difference.
Last time these sides faced off back in October, the game ended in a 2-2 draw. Worryingly for Troyes, they have not beaten Rennes since 2013.
Rennes form guide: L-W-L-W-L
Troyes form guide: L-W-L-D-L
Rennes vs Troyes Team News
Rennes
Jeremy Doku and Romain Salin are out for Rennes with injuries, while a further two players are doubtful and Jonas Martin is suspended.
Injured: Jeremy Doku, Romain Salin
Doubtful: Flavien Tait, Lesley Ugochukwu
Suspended: Jonas Martin
Troyes
Karim Azamoum and Renaud Ripart are ruled out for the away side, but other than that, Bruno Irles can call on a full strength squad.
Injured: Karim Azamoum, Renaud Ripart
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Rennes vs Troyes Predicted XI
Rennes predicted XI (4-3-3): Alfred Gomis, Hamari Traore, Warmed Omari, Nayef Aguerd, Adrien Truffert, Benjamin Bourigeaud, Baptiste Santamaria, Lovro Majer, Kamaldeen Sulemana, Gaetan Laborde, Martin Terrier
Troyes predicted XI (3-4-3): Gauthier Gallon, Erik Palmer-Brown, Adil Rami, Yoann Salmier, Mama Balde, Florian Tardieu, Xavier Chavalerin, Abdu Conte, Rominigue Kouame, Lebo Mothiba, Ike Ugbo
Rennes vs Troyes Prediction
Rennes’ form has been patchy recently, but it’s worth noting that for the most part, they have only struggled against Ligue 1’s better sides, and it’s hard to argue that Troyes are one of them.
Troyes will be hopeful of a more positive result than their most recent loss, but the truth is that they’re likely to find it hard going against Bruno Genesio’s side.
Expect a home win in this one.
Prediction: Rennes 2-0 Troyes
