Fifth meets sixth in Ligue 1 this weekend when Lyon will travel to Rennes on Sunday evening looking for a win to take them above their fellow-European chasing opponents.
Both sides have accumulated 19 points after 12 fixtures, with only Rennes superior goal difference keeping them above the seven-time French champions.
Match preview
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Having missed out on Champions League qualification on the final day of last season, a Lyon side now without departed Memphis Depay would have targeted a return to Europe's most prestigious competition this time around.
However, the start they may have been looking for did not come to fruition, with Lyon failing to win any of their first three Ligue 1 matches, leaving them in the relegation zone at the end of matchday three.
New manager Peter Bosz has since seen his side bounce back, and Les Gones have only lost two of their last 10 league matches, leaving them on the cusp of the European spots.
Last weekend's victory over RC Lens saw Lyon jump from ninth to sixth and a win over Rennes on Sunday evening could take them into the Champions League places, if results go their way.
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In similar fashion to Lyon, Rennes had a bumpy start to the 2021-22 campaign, winning once in their opening six Ligue 1 matches.
A run of three consecutive defeats either side of the season's first international break was their longest losing streak since February, with critics questioning if Rennes could sustain the levels they have shown in the French top flight over the past two campaigns.
Champions League qualification for the first time in their history during the 2019-20 season was backed up by getting in to the Europa Conference League last term, with the Red and Blacks having established themselves as a consistent threat for the European positions.
Qualifying for continental football yet again this season would require them to take points off the teams in and around them, with Lyon being just one.
The pair have shared a relatively even head-to-head record in recent years, with neither side consistently gaining the upper-hand, yet Lyon were unable to remain unbeaten in their two meetings last season.
Somewhat surprisingly, Rennes have fared better on the road against Lyon, with the Red and Blacks without a home win over the side from the South of France since February 2014.
Lyon have enjoyed six fruitful trips to Roazhon Park in recent seasons, and their next scheduled visit for Sunday could bring about even more happy returns for Les Gones.
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Team News
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Having lost the services of Depay in the summer, Lyon have somewhat been able to replace to Dutch international's goals, with Karl Toko Ekambi and Lucas Paqueta both having scored four for the season.
Ekambi scored from the spot in the victory against Lens, with the eventual winning goal coming from dynamic midfielder Houssem Aouar, who will dictate the play for Lyon in the engine room.
Lyon have shipped more goals at this stage of the season than in any campaign so far and experienced goalkeeper Anthony Lopes will be on the lookout for only his second clean sheet this term.
However, their efforts against Rennes will be hampered by the number of injuries they will travel with, as five first-team players will be absent for Sunday's fixture.
Tino Kadewere still has two games of a three-match suspension to serve, while Moussa Dembele will not get an opportunity to add to his four goals for the season as he is out with a calf injury.
Further absentees include Julian Pollersbeck (shoulder), Lenny Pintor (ACL) and Jeff Reine-Adelaide (ACL), as Bosz will be forced to deal with a significantly depleted Lyon squad.
Rennes are not without their own injury concerns with Bruno Genesio set to be without a trio players for the visit of Lyon, most notably Jeremy Doku who is missing with a knee injury.
The Belgian forward burst onto the scene last season but has missed the majority of the season, and will be joined in the treatment room by Jeremy Gelin who is recovering from an Anterior Cruciate Ligament problem.
Jonas Martin would have been a likely absentee had he not been suspended, while promising winger Kamaldeen Sulemana is set to be handed yet another chance in the Rennes attack.
Rennes possible starting lineup:
Gomis; Traore, Omari, Aguerd, Meling; Bourigeaud, Santamaria, Tait, Sulemana; Laborde, Terrier
Lyon possible starting lineup:
Lopes; Dubois, Boateng, Denayer, Emerson; Caqueret, Guimaraes; Shaqiri, Aouar, Toko Ekambi; Paqueta
We say: Rennes 2-1 Lyon
Come the end of the season, there is every chance the pair could look at this fixture as one of the defining games, and failure to pick up three points could set either Rennes or Lyon back.
As the showpiece event on Sunday evening expect a feisty affair, with a single goal likely to sway the match.
Top tip
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 43.58%. A win for Lyon had a probability of 30.71% and a draw had a probability of 25.7%.
The most likely scoreline for a Rennes win was 1-0 with a probability of 10.23%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9%) and 2-0 (7.54%). The likeliest Lyon win was 0-1 (8.3%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.22%). The actual scoreline of 4-1 was predicted with a 1.6% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Rennes would win this match.
