Rennes vs Saint-Etienne

Ligue 1 top-three hopefuls Rennes will encounter relegation-threatened Saint-Etienne at Roazhon Park in a high-stakes Ligue 1 showdown.

Rennes put an uneventful two-game losing Ligue 1 streak to bed last time out, courtesy of an overwhelming 5-0 demolition of relegation-battling Lorient at home. Coming into this matchday, ‘Les Rennais’ occupy the final Champions League qualification spot. But since they are level on points with fourth-placed Monaco, there’s no room for complacency. There’s plenty of reason for optimism in the home camp, with Rennes going unbeaten in nine of their last ten league matches against St Etienne (W5, D4). Moreover, delivering action for the get-go, Bruno Genesio’s men have opened the scoring in a league-high 25 games this Ligue 1 season whilst breaking the deadlock in 82% of their home league outings (14/17). But they have lost all three Ligue 1 fixtures at home after conceding first this term.

On the other hand, Saint-Etienne’s crushing 4-1 home defeat to Monaco last weekend left the joint-most successful Ligue 1 club two points adrift of safety, making it one win in seven league matches (D3, L3). The visitors’ defensive frailties have seen them concede 4+ goals in three of their last five Ligue 1 outings, casting doubt on their ability to keep red-hot Rennes at bay. St Etienne’s slow starts could inflict more misery on ‘Les Verts’ as they’ve conceded the opener in the league-most 23 matches this term. Having lost 70% of their away league games after falling behind this season (W1, D2, L7), Pascal Dupraz’s side will be desperate to start on the front foot. With no win from their last four Ligue 1 travels (D2, L2), St Etienne look destined for another painful weekend.