Preview: Lens vs. Rennes - prediction, team news, lineups

Lens will be looking to bounce back from defeat on the opening weekend of the Ligue 1 season when Rennes visit the Stade Bollaert-Delelis on Sunday evening.

The hosts threw away a 2-0 lead at Brest last time out, while the visitors kicked off their campaign with a 5-1 thrashing of newly-promoted Metz.

Match preview

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Thanks to early goals from Florian Sotoca and Deiver Machado, Lens appeared to be in complete control against Brest last weekend, but last season's runners-up managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory by conceding three goals.

To make matters worse for the Blood and Gold, Adrien Thomasson was sent off before Romain Del Castillo scored his second and Brest's third, with Thomasson seeing red just 14 minutes after coming off the bench.

Of course, Franck Haise will be disappointed with his team's start to the season, but he can take huge confidence from Lens' achievements last term, as they pushed Paris Saint-Germain all the way to finish one point behind the perennial champions.

Not only did the Blood and Gold suffer the fewest defeats in Ligue 1 last season, but they also posted the best defensive record, meaning that Lens should challenge for a Champions League spot once again this term.

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Rennes find themselves at the summit of the Ligue 1 table after crushing Metz 5-1 on the opening weekend, as Bruno Genesio's men racked up 71% possession and 29 shots while laying down a marker against the newly-promoted outfit.

Following goals from Arnaud Kalimuendo, Amine Gouiri and Jeremy Doku, Ibrahim Salah came off the bench to bag a seven-minute brace and put the icing on the cake for the hosts, who dominated proceedings from start to finish.

After getting the better of Premier League clubs West Ham United and Nottingham Forest during pre-season, Les Rennais suffered a 3-1 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers, but they kicked off their Ligue 1 campaign in style.

Last season, the Red and Blacks won six of their final eight matches to snatch fourth place in the standings, finishing above European regulars like Lyon, Monaco and Lille, so Genesio's side will be hopeful of enjoying another successful campaign.

Team News

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Lens will have to make do without Jimmy Cabot and Wuilker Farinez for the time being as they continue to recover from knee injuries, while Wesley Said is a doubt for Saturday's clash.

The Blood and Gold have also lost Lois Openda to RB Leipzig and Seko Fofana to Al-Nassr, with the prolific pair racking up 30 goals and 10 assists between them last term.

Consequently, Angelo Fulgini will likely continue to lead the line in a 3-4-2-1 formation this weekend, while Morgan Guilavogui and Florian Sotoca are expected to operate behind the striker.

Rennes, on the other hand, are still without long-term injury absentee Martin Terrier, who has not featured since January due to a serious knee problem.

Genesio is expected to continue with his favoured 4-3-3 formation, with Benjamin Bourigeaud, Baptiste Santamaria and Enzo Le Fee lining up in midfield, while veteran stopper Steve Mandanda will continue in goal.

Lens possible starting lineup:

Samba; Gradit, Danso, Medina; Frankowski, Adbul Samed, Diouf, Machado; Sotoca, Fulgini; Guilavogui

Rennes possible starting lineup:

Mandanda; Assignon, Omari, Theate, Belocian; Bourigeaud, Santamaria, Le Fee; Doku, Kalimuendo, Gouiri

We say: Lens 1-3 Rennes

While Lens struggled without Openda and Fofana as they threw away a 2-0 lead last time out, Rennes hit the ground running with a dominant 5-1 victory on the opening weekend.

With that in mind, we expect the Red and Blacks to carry their momentum into Sunday's showdown, inflicting back-to-back defeats on the Blood and Gold.

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