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

Goal-shy Nantes are eight places behind sixth-placed Rennes in the Ligue 1 table ahead of Saturday's gameweek five match at Stade de la Beaujoire.

Luis Castro’s team have scored just one goal in four top-flight games, matching their poor record from 2016-17 and 2017-18, and they face a tough battle against the side they have lost to seven times in the previous nine meetings.

Match preview

Nantes supporters likely believed they had seen the last of their team not scoring nearly enough goals to kick off the season after consecutive poor starts in 2016-17 and 17-18.

Those two campaigns were marked by the Canaries scoring just one goal in the first 360 minutes of football, an unwanted milestone they have now duplicated for a third time in the past decade — more than any other team in Ligue 1.

Although every match has ended 1-0, the Canaries have suffered three narrow defeats, placing them 14th in the table and just outside the relegation playoff zone thanks to a better goal difference than Lorient.

Supporters will head into the fixture with mixed feelings because last season's corresponding match ended in favour of Nantes, but even more notable was that it ended a four-match losing streak in this fixture — their second in 10 encounters.

Having lost seven of their previous nine matchups against Rennes, Nantes, who have not won consecutive Ligue 1 home games against Rennes since a run of seven straight wins between 1999 and 2005, aim to break that long wait this weekend.

Beating their Brittany-based opponents will be quite challenging, especially given that the away team have outperformed their underlying metrics.

According to advanced analytics, Rennes would be around 15th place based on their chances created and opportunities conceded; however, Habib Beye's troops are sixth in the division and could climb as high as third if results favour them.

On the other hand, Les Rennais are just two points above Angers in 12th, but even if they perform poorly this weekend, they cannot fall below that position since they are four points ahead of Le Havre in 13th.

Considering Rennes' away form, it will be intriguing to see what unfolds this weekend: Nantes are struggling to score goals, and Les Rouge et Noirs have yet to win on the road, having lost 4-0 to Lorient and drawn 1-1 with Angers.

Since January 2021, none of their matches have ended in a stalemate, so expecting a clear winner seems reasonable based on recent history.

Nantes Ligue 1 form:

Rennes Ligue 1 form:

Team News

While Francis Coquelin is doubtful for Nantes, Fabien Centonze, Mathieu Acapandie and Bahereba Guirassy are unlikely to feature this weekend.

Only Mostafa Mohamed has scored for the Canaries this season, highlighting the struggles of the league's lowest scorers to make progress in the attacking third.

Mahdi Camara could rejoin the team after serving his suspension for a straight red card in the defeat by Lorient last month.

Les Rouge et Noirs will assess the injuries of Abdelhamid Ait Boudlal and Przemyslaw Frankowski before Saturday, and a late decision may be taken regarding the duo.

Only Esteban Lepaul has scored more than once for the away side in 2025-26, while Quentin Merlin leads with two assists; both players will aim to add to their goals and assists respectively.

Nantes possible starting lineup:

Lopes; Amian, Awaziem, Tati, Cozza; Mwanga; Benhattab, Lerouz, Lepenant, Abline; Mohamed

Rennes possible starting lineup:

Samba; Rouault, Jacquet, Brassier; Tamari, Fofana, Rongier, Blas, Merlin; Lepaul, Embolo