Preview: Rennes vs Brentford - prediction, team news, lineups

Kicking off their pre-season in earnest, Premier League side Brentford will travel to face Ligue 1's Rennes at Roazhon Park on Saturday.

Les Rouge et Noirs could go four games unbeaten this weekend, while the Bees will be looking to start their preparatory fixtures with a win.

Match preview

Franck Haise took the reins at Rennes back in mid-February, replacing Habib Beye and securing a sixth-placed finish and a place in the league phase of the Europa League.

The 55-year-old is embarking on his first pre-season with Les Rouge et Noirs ahead of his inaugural full campaign in the dugout, and comes into this showdown after a commendable run of friendly results.

On Sunday, Haise's side came from behind to draw 3-3 with Turkish giants Galatasaray - a game that saw Esteban Lepaul score a hat-trick for the French club - though they were pegged back when Baris Yilmaz converted a 94th-minute penalty.

Rennes began their preparations for 2026-27 with a 2-1 defeat against Caen on July 9, but have gone unbeaten since, claiming a 3-1 win over Guingamp and a 2-1 victory against Club Brugge prior to their stalemate last time out.

Results matter little in pre-season, but getting the better of a Premier League opponent this weekend could serve as a psychological boost for Rennes, and after seeing their team win five of their most recent six home matches, fans will be optimistic.

Meanwhile, Brentford have taken an unusual approach to their preparations, with manager Keith Andrews opting against scheduling any friendlies in July in order to spend more time training at full-tilt ahead of their league opener against Tottenham Hotspur.

The Bees fell agonisingly short of European football in 2025-26, missing out on a place in the Conference League qualifiers on goal-difference and a spot in the Europa League by a single point.

Andrews will be hoping to push his side one step further this time around, and perhaps the intense work he has been putting the players through on the training pitch will help them avoid a repeat of the campaign's final stretch, which saw them win just one of their last 10 matches.

Brentford also kept only one clean sheet from their final five outings, during a 3-0 victory over West Ham United on May 2, and the boss is sure to be looking for more defensive solidity on Saturday.

At the opposite end of the pitch, the Bees will be aware of their opponents' own backline frailty - Rennes have yet to record a clean sheet of their own in pre-season - something the Londoners will be aiming to take advantage of this weekend.

Rennes Friendlies form:

Brentford form:

This will be Brentford's first match since the end of the 2025-26 season.

Team News

Rennes could continue with Esteban Lepaul up top after his hat-trick against Galatasaray, while Ludovic Blas and Arnaud Nordin operate out wide.

Elsewhere, goalkeeper Kilian Belazzoug will be protected by centre-backs Abdelhamid Ait-Boudlal and Anthony Rouault, as well as full-backs Bryan Reynolds and Mahamadou Nagida.

As for Brentford, they are missing versatile defender Benjamin Fredrick, who suffered a knee injury in November 2025, though Sepp van den Berg should be on hand to start alongside Nathan Collins at centre-back, flanked by full-backs Michael Kayode and Keane Lewis-Potter.

Likewise, forward Fabio Carvalho, who was also unfortunate enough to be struck down with a cruciate ligament injury last 2025, remains unavailable.

With that in mind, Igor Thiago could lead the line on Sunday, supported in attack by a three-man unit of Dango Ouattara, Mathias Jensen and Kevin Schade.

Rennes possible starting lineup:

Belazzoug; Reynolds, Ait-Boudlal, Rouault, Nagida; Thomasson; Blas, Szymanski, Camara, Nordin; Lepaul

Brentford possible starting lineup:

Kelleher; Kayode, Van den Berg, Collins, Lewis-Potter; Sangare, Janelt; Ouattara, Jensen, Schade; Thiago