Still seeking their first win of the new Ligue 1 season, Rennes welcome Nantes to the Roazhon Park for Sunday afternoon's gameweek three battle in the Derby Breton.
The hosts have gleaned two points from clashes with Lens and Brest so far, whereas Nantes got off the mark for the new season with a 2-0 success against Metz last week.
Match preview
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It took 84 minutes for Rennes' game against Brest at the Stade Francis-Le Ble to explode into life last weekend, but Les Rouge et Noir seemed destined to take the spoils in the Breton Derby after Serhou Guirassy headed his side in front with six minutes remaining.
However, the home side made an inspired substitution just before the opening goal, and Michel der Zakarian's gamble paid dividends as Jeremy Le Douaron restored parity for Brest with a header of his own in second-half injury time.
Rennes' revival under Bruno Genesio last season ultimately propelled them to a spot in the Europa Conference League last term, and they did at least manage to pick up a confidence-boosting win in their playoff round first leg with Rosenborg in midweek, as Guirassy and Nayef Aguerd netted in a 2-0 win.
Les Rouges et Noir seem set to secure a safe passage into the group stage of Europe's third tier competition, but two opening draws means that they have only claimed one win from their last six Ligue 1 games as they bid to sustain a charge for the premier European competitions.
However, one silver lining for Rennes is that they have embarked on a six-game unbeaten league run at the Roazhon Park - currently the third-longest run in the division - but Nantes have proven to be an eye-catching side with their embryonic performances.
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Nantes clawed their way out of danger in the final few weeks of the 2020-21 season and retained their Ligue 1 status by the skin of their teeth, but Antoine Kombouare's side have not been resting on their laurels over the summer.
After holding Monaco to a 1-1 draw in the first game of the new campaign, Nantes welcomed Metz to the Stade de la Beaujoire in gameweek two and eased to a comfortable 2-0 success, as Moses Simon provided assists for Randal Kolo Muani and Ludovic Blas either side of half time.
Victory over Les Grenats marked Nantes' fifth from their last seven games in the top flight, but the fixtures do not get any easier after their trip to Rennes, with Lyon and two in-form sides in Nice and Angers lying in wait for Les Canaris.
However, Nantes supporters will relish their side's fifth-placed standing in the table while it lasts, but with Kombouare's men suffering just one defeat from their last nine on the road, another positive result against their bitter rivals is not beyond the realm of possibility.
Nantes' recent away record against Rennes is no cause for optimism, though, as Les Rouge et Noir won this fixture 1-0 last season thanks to Martin Terrier's winner and are unbeaten in seven home league matches against their Brittany counterparts.
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Team News
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Rennes manager Genesio fielded a strong first XI for the win over Rosenborg and will be tempted to make a couple of changes for Sunday's game in order to keep his players fresh.
New signing Baptiste Santamaria was thrown straight into the side for Thursday's game and should hold his place here, while Eduardo Camavinga should return to the middle, potentially in place of Flavien Tait.
Jonas Martin's ankle injury is expected to keep him out for a little while longer, while Guirassy netted as a substitute in midweek but ought to be recalled to the starting lineup here.
As for Nantes, new signing Wylan Cyprien is expected to remain absent as he battles a muscular issue, while striker Kalifa Coulibaly is yet to recover from his thigh problem.
The visitors have no need to fix what is not broken after last week's dominant performance, which could mean another start for Renaud Emond just off Kolo Muani.
Rennes possible starting lineup:
Gomis; Traore, Aguerd, Bade, Truffert; Camavinga, Santamaria, Bourigeaud; Doku, Guirassy, Sulemana
Nantes possible starting lineup:
Lafont; Appiah, Castelletto, Pallois, Fabio; Girotto, Chrivella; Blas, Emond, Simon; Kolo Muani
We say: Rennes 0-0 Nantes
European fatigue coupled with two somewhat underwhelming draws in Ligue 1 is not exactly a formula for success for Rennes, although their home record and unbeaten streak against Nantes is there for all to see.
Genesio is evidently keen for his side to progress in the Conference League, whereas Nantes' league fortunes have improved drastically over the past few months, and we can see both sides cancelling each other out in a drab stalemate.
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 54.79%. A draw had a probability of 25.1% and a win for Nantes had a probability of 20.12%.
The most likely scoreline for a Rennes win was 1-0 with a probability of 13.77%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (10.97%) and 2-1 (9.38%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (11.77%), while for a Nantes win it was 0-1 (7.39%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with a 13.8% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 1-0 win for Rennes in this match.
