Rennes will be looking to bounce back from their Europa Conference League exit when they return to Ligue 1 action against Metz at Roazhon Park on Sunday.
The hosts remain well in the mix for a Champions League place following their sensational domestic form, whilst the visitors continue to struggle for goals and points in their quest to avoid relegation.
Match preview
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Despite registering a 2-1 victory over Leicester City on Thursday evening, Rennes exited the Europa Conference League following a 2-0 defeat at the King Power Stadium in the first leg.
Benjamin Bourigeaud gave Bruno Genesio's side the lead inside the opening eight minutes of a tight first half at Roazhon Park.
Les Rennais continued to dominate the ball after the break but Wesley Fofana equalised just six minutes into the second 45, before Flavien Tait restored the home side's lead on the night to set up a nervy finish.
However, Genesio's men could not find another goal to take the tie to extra time, but Rennes must now switch their focus back to Ligue 1 action, where they currently occupy fourth in the table.
The excellent position at this stage of the season comes as a result of their four straight league victories, and five of their last six, where the only exception was the narrow defeat at leaders Paris Saint-Germain.
Bourigeaud was once again at the centre of their success last weekend when Rennes saw off Lyon by a remarkable 4-2 scoreline, with the winger registering a goal and an assist during an outstanding counter attacking display by his side.
With six straight home victories in all competitions, and the second-best home record across the division, Sunday's hosts will be expected to record a comfortable victory against their struggling visitors.
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Metz could not head to Roazhon Park with a much different outlook compared to their hosts, with Frederic Antonetti's side being winless in seven outings.
As a result, Les Grenats have dropped into the automatic relegation spot of 19th in recent weeks, owing partially to the upturn in form of fellow relegation-threatened side Saint-Etienne as well.
As per many of their recent outings, Antonetti's side remained solid defensively when they hosted Lens last weekend, but also drastically struggled in front of goal at the other end of the pitch.
The goalless draw was their fourth stalemate in their last seven Ligue 1 matches, and Habib Maiga's goal in the 2-1 defeat back on February 13 remains their only strike during that poor spell.
With all of the odds stacked against Sunday's visitors, another goalless draw remains their most likely opportunity of earning a positive result, but unless they can begin to find the back of the net sooner rather than later, those single points are unlikely to be enough to keep Metz in Ligue 1 come May.
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Team News
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Following Alfred Gomis's broken finger, 19-year-old goalkeeper Dogan Alemdar was required between the posts against Leicester on Thursday, and with the former being ruled out until next month, the youngster will be required again on Sunday with veteran keeper Romain Salin remaining sidelined too.
Jeremy Gelin nears a return from a serious knee injury, but he is not expected back until after the international break, with the same applying to Loic Bade and Kamaldeen Sulemana too.
With no fresh injury concerns to contend with, Genesio could well name the same outfield lineup for the third successive game.
As for the visitors, Vincent Pajot serves the third of his four-match suspension at the weekend, and with no fresh injury concerns, few changes are expected despite their continued poor run of form.
Ibrahim Amadou is a potential option to return to the starting lineup however, with the January arrival returning from a one-match ban served in last weekend's goalless draw.
Thomas Delaine, Fabien Centonze, Boubacar Traore and Maiga will not return until after the international break, whilst Matthieu Udol is out for the season.
Rennes possible starting lineup:
Alemdar; Traore, Omari, Aguerd, Truffert; Majer, Martin, Santamaria; Bourigeaud, Laborde, Terrier
Metz possible starting lineup:
Caillard; Bronn, Amadou, Kouyate, Jemerson, Cande; Niane, Sarr, N'Doram, De Preville; Mafouta
We say: Rennes 3-0 Metz
Despite playing just three days prior to this encounter, Rennes should record a comfortable victory against their struggling visitors here.
It is difficult to stake a claim for Metz even finding the back of the net due to their recent struggles and the calibre of their opposition on Sunday, and Rennes should return to winning ways to continue their push for a Champions League spot.
Top tip
Matthew Tranter
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Rennes win with a probability of 81.91%. A draw had a probability of 13.6% and a win for Metz had a probability of 4.51%.
The most likely scoreline for a Rennes win was 2-0 with a probability of 17.72%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-0 (14.88%) and 3-0 (14.07%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 0-0 (6.25%), while for a Metz win it was 0-1 (2.45%). The actual scoreline of 6-1 was predicted with a 0.6% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole and our data analysis both correctly predicted that Rennes would win this match.
