Preview: Paris Saint-Germain vs. Rennes

From the day that he took charge of Paris Saint-Germain back in 2013, Laurent Blanc has had to deal with constant speculation surrounding his future.

The pressure certainly intensified towards the end of 2014 and the beginning of this year as his side collected just one point from encounters against Guingamp, Montpellier and Bastia.

However, his players have since responded positively, with victories over Evian TG and Saint-Etienne, which has kept the champions within four points of in-form Lyon, who lead the way at the top of the standings.

Blanc's men now have a chance to close the gap to just one point - at least until Lyon take on Monaco at the weekend - when they play host to mid-table Rennes at the Parc des Princes on Friday evening.

The Red and Blacks have actually proven themselves to be difficult opponents of late for the Parisians, who have won only three of the last 16 matches between the two sides.

Rennes have triumphed from an impressive nine of those encounters, although there was nothing to split the teams when they met at the Route de Lorient earlier in the season.

In terms of team selection, Blanc has no fresh injury concerns, which may lead to him naming an unchanged starting lineup from the one that recorded a 1-0 victory over Saint-Etienne.

That would mean another start at right-back for reported Manchester United transfer target Marquinhos, with Argentines Javier Pastore and Ezequiel Lavezzi having to settle for a place among the substitutes.

Meanwhile, former Manchester City midfielder Gelson Fernandes is likely to feature for the visitors, who are without a win in their last five games in all competitions.

PSG:

Form in Ligue 1: WLDLWW Form in all competitions: WLWWWW

Possible starting lineup: Sirigu; Maxwell, Silva, Luiz, Marquinhos; Matuidi, Motta, Verratti; Lucas, Cavani; Ibrahimovic

Rennes:

Form in Ligue 1: LLWDDL Form in all competitions: WDLDDL

Possible starting lineup: Costil; Danze, Mexer, Armand, Diagne; Fernandes, Andre, Bruls, Henrique, Prcic; Toivonen

Sports Mole says: 2-0