Rennes will be looking to secure European football for next season when they travel to Brest on the final day of the Ligue 1 campaign.
The visitors defeated Monaco to leapfrog their top-five rivals last weekend, while the hosts extended their winning streak to three matches.
Match preview
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When Brest suffered four defeats in five matches across February and March, they looked destined to remain in a relegation dogfight for the rest of the campaign, but a remarkable late-season surge has seen the Pirates steer clear of the drop zone in style.
Indeed, Eric Roy's men have lost just one of their last 10 league games, picking up six wins and three draws along the way, and they now find themselves 11 points above the bottom four with a game to spare.
Thanks to last weekend's 2-1 victory at Marseille, Brest head into the final round of fixtures on a three-match winning streak, having dispatched Auxerre and Clermont prior to the triumph at the Stade Velodrome.
It is also worth noting that Roy's men have won each of their previous five home games, scoring a combined total of nine goals while conceding just twice, with three consecutive clean sheets coming in that sequence.
Given that Brest managed to win only two of their first 13 home league matches this term – recording five draws and six defeats in the process – the Pirates must be given credit for their impressive turnaround.
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Meanwhile, Rennes secured a vitally important 2-0 victory over Monaco last time out, courtesy of second-half goals from Lovro Majer and Amine Gouiri, who fired the Red and Blacks to a third successive victory.
Last weekend's win also saw Rennes climb above Monaco in the table, meaning that Bruno Genesio's side find themselves inside the top five on goal difference, with both Europa League and Europa Conference League qualification attainable.
Prior to the triumph over Monaco, Les Rennais thrashed Troyes 4-0 before Gouri netted a hat-trick in a 5-0 demolition of Ajaccio, meaning that Genesio's men have scored 11 goals without conceding in their last three outings.
Better still, Rennes have won five of their previous seven league encounters, scoring 18 goals while keeping four clean sheets across those victories, so they will back themselves to notch another positive result on Saturday.
After finishing third under Julien Stephan in 2019-20, Les Rennais finished sixth in 2020-21 before climbing to fourth last term, and they still could replicate last season's finish if they better Lille's result against Troyes on the final day.
Team News
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Brest's injury list contains Senegalese midfielder Noah Fadiga and veteran striker Loic Remy, who has yet to play for the Pirates since arriving at the club during the winter transfer window.
Eric Roy will likely make limited changes to his starting XI as he looks to finish the season on a high, with Jeremy Le Douaron, Steve Mounie and Mathias Pereira Lage expected to occupy the forward line in a 4-3-3 formation.
Elsewhere, former Norwich City man Pierre Lees-Melou will continue to anchor the midfield, while Lilian Brassier and Brendan Chardonnet should operate at centre-back.
Rennes head into the final day of the season with multiple injury problems, as Steve Mandanda, Martin Terrier, Adrien Truffert, Christopher Wooh and Xeka remain sidelined.
There are also question marks over the availability of Tottenham Hotspur loanee Djed Spence, who could have played his final game for the club after missing the past few clashes due to injury.
Having netted four goals across the previous two matches, Amine Gouri will continue to offer attacking support to Karl Toko Ekambi, while Benjamin Bourigeaud will aim to bolster his tally of six goals and 13 assists.
Brest possible starting lineup:
Bizot; Lala, Chardonnet, Brassier, Duverne; Belkebla, Lees-Melou, Magnetti; Pereira Lage, Mounie, Le Douaron
Rennes possible starting lineup:
Alemdar; Traore, Omari, Theate, Belocian; Santamaria; Doku, Bourigeaud, Majoer, Gouri; Toko Ekambi
We say: Brest 2-2 Rennes
Knowing that three points will guarantee European football for next season, Rennes will likely go all out to secure the win on Saturday, but in-form Brest will not go down without a fight.
Given that Brest have won each of their last three matches – and each of their previous five on home soil – we expect the Pirates to frustrate the European chasers.
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