Fresh from putting high-flying Reims to the sword in impressive fashion, Rennes return to the road to tackle Montpellier HSC at the Stade de la Mosson in Sunday's Ligue 1 showdown.
Bruno Genesio's side scored three without reply against Reims last time out, while Lille came from a goal behind to defeat their upcoming hosts 2-1.
Match preview
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Lille may have been stunned by an Angers side cut adrift at the foot of the table two weekends ago, but the 2021 French champions are a different beast at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy - a lesson that Michel Der Zakarian's Montpellier troops learned harshly.
Left-back Issiaga Sylla came storming in to break the deadlock from a tight angle in the first half, but a two-minute spell in the second 45 turned the tide in Lille's favour, as Jonathan David tapped home before Benjamin Lecomte could only parry Ismaily's cross into the path of ex-Paillade playmaker Remy Cabella, who did the rest from a yard out.
Now boasting just one point from their last three Ligue 1 fixtures - also losing to Toulouse and drawing with Marseille this month - the new manager bounce appears to have worn off for Montpellier, who are entrenched in 13th place in the table with seven matches left this season.
An eight-point chasm over the drop zone means that Montpellier should not be dragged into a demotion dogfight in the final few weeks of the campaign, and the positives have outweighed the negatives since Der Zakarian returned to the southern city, with his side scoring in each of their last nine Ligue 1 fixtures.
On the other hand, La Paillade have now shipped one goal in each of their last four top-flight contests and have already suffered eight losses at the Stade de la Mosson this season - only Ajaccio and Angers with 11 home defeats each have a worse record in that regard.
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Rennes starlet Jeremy Doku came up trumps in the battle between the attacking proteges with Folarin Balogun last week, as Reims were subjected to their heaviest defeat of the embryonic Will Still era at Roazhon Park.
Doku had a brace to his name by the 19-minute mark before Reims failed to clear a second-half corner, and centre-back Arthur Theate produced a striker's finish into the top corner to rubber-stamp a first win of the month for Les Rouges et Noir, who began April with back-to-back reverses against Lyon and Lens.
A patchy period of form saw Rennes cut adrift in the battle for Europe, but by reigniting their continental charge last weekend, Genesio's team are sitting pretty in sixth place in the table and are just two points worse off than Lille in the Europa Conference League qualification spot.
Rennes do not have their away form to thank for their sixth-placed standing, though, as Genesio's team have only won away from home four times all season, but their only three clean sheets on the road this season came in three successive games between February and March before a 3-1 loss to Lyon two weekends ago.
It was a Halloween horror show for Montpellier at Roazhon Park on October 30 as Rennes strolled to a 3-0 win over La Paillade, who have only beaten Les Rouges et Noir once in their last 13 top-flight encounters - a 2-1 triumph at the Stade de la Mosson thanks to a brace from the now out-of-favour Stephy Mavididi.
Team News
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Montpellier left Lille's fortress with fresh concerns over captain Teji Savanier (pelvis) and striker Wahbi Khazri (cheekbone), but the duo are expected to be passed fit for Sunday's game and will no doubt start if that is the case.
Theo Sainte-Luce (calf), Maxime Esteve (groin) and Beni Makouana (thigh) make up the hosts' trio of long-term absentees, while Kiki Kouyate recovered from a concussion to come straight back into the Paillade backline last weekend.
Former Arsenal product Mavididi remains a bit-part player under Der Zakarian, and the 24-year-old attacker should start on the bench here once again, alongside ex-Rennes left-back Faitout Maouassa.
As far as Rennes are concerned, Adrien Truffert continues his rehabilitation from a season-ending ankle injury, while Xeka is sidelined with a similar problem, and Lorenz Assignon (knee) should not be back just yet either.
The visitors did not pick up any fresh concerns in the win over Reims, although Tottenham Hotspur loanee Joe Rodon was missing for the second gameweek in a row for unexplained reasons, while his fellow Lilywhites man Djed Spence was an unused substitute.
Desptie the presence of Baptiste Santamaria and Lovro Majer on the bench, Rennes boss Genesio should see no reason to fix what is not broken as he sends out an identical starting XI.
Montpellier HSC possible starting lineup:
Lecomte; Sacko, Jullien, Kouyate, Sylla; Ferri, Chotard; Nordin, Savanier, Wahi; Khazri
Rennes possible starting lineup:
Mandanda; Traore, Omari, Theate, Meling; Tait, Ugochukwu, Bourigeaud; Doku, Kalimuendo, Gouiri
We say: Montpellier HSC 0-2 Rennes
Despite struggling to maintain their initial hot streak under Der Zakarian, Montpellier have consistently posed a threat in the final third - not that it may count for much against a reinvigorated Rennes crop, though.
Genesio's side limited Reims to a mere five shots last weekend and found the formula for defensive success on the road before being downed by Lyon, so we can envisage Genesio's side remaining on the coat-tails of the top five with a straightforward success.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Ben Knapton
