Rennes vs Angers Prediction: A win for the home team, even in both halves

On Sunday, bottom-placed Angers will play Ligue 1 contender Rennes at Roazhon Park. 

Rennes is now in sixth position and no longer has a chance to compete in the UEFA Champions League, but they still have a chance to qualify for the Europa League or Europa Conference League. 

If Angers loses this game, they will be ineligible for the playoffs. Even if they do, it appears exceedingly doubtful that they will be able to win all six of their remaining games.

It is difficult to see anything but a win for the home side in both halves as Angers has lost in the first half in 6 of 9 consecutive games played. 

Due to their loss last weekend to a team fighting for the bottom of the table, Rennes slipped and lost ground in the battle for Europe at the opposite end of the table. Rennes also lost inexplicably to Montpellier HSC, who had 10 men on the field.

Rennes would have qualified for Europe with a victory, but they are currently six points behind Lille in the standings. The outcome confirmed Rennes' dismal road performance this year, as they have managed just 17 points from 16 games. Since the World Cup, Rennes has lost 9 of the 17 games, which is extremely concerning given their overall form. Before the World Cup, Rennes averaged more than two points per game. Since then, they have hardly averaged a point.

However, their performances at Roazhon Park have remained largely encouraging, and their five victories out of eight here in 2023 mean that playing in Europe next season is still a real possibility.

It is encouraging that they defeated Angers in the first meeting back in October, especially given that they had triumphed in four of the previous five meetings on their home field.

On the injury list, after suffering an ACL injury that terminated his season in January, Martin Terrier has continued to be a major loss for Rennes. Promising left defender Adrien Truffert won't play any more games this season due to an ankle ailment as well.

Due to a back issue, Desire Doue, Xeka, and Lorenz Assignon are all predicted to be out, in addition to Desire.

Renne's possible starting lineup:

Goalkeeper: Mandanda; 

Defenders: Traore, Omari, Theate, Meling; 

Midfielders: Ugochukwu, Bourigeaud, Majer; 

Strikers: Doku, Kalimuendo, Gouiri

Angers know that their time in Ligue 1 is almost done as they head into the weekend; failure to win will guarantee their relegation to Ligue 2. The home side's soggy season is about to come to an end.

The second-worst point total in Ligue 1 during the three points for a victory era is just 14 points from their 32 games played thus far. At this point in a French top-flight season, Angers' unwelcome record of 25 league losses is also an all-time high, but they are at least going down fighting. 

A significant improvement can be seen in recent results, which include a shocking victory over Lille 9a high another team vying for Europe), a tie with Nice, and tight losses to Paris Saint-Germain and Clermont.

Angers scored two points out of a possible 60 from late September until the most recent international break, but after scoring four in a row lately, they are no longer as easily beaten as they would have been earlier in the season. Angers might still have a significant impact on how the league table develops despite having just pride to play for.

Their final two games are against teams trying to escape relegation, while their upcoming three games are all against teams presently competing for spots in the top six and competing for a spot in Europe.

For their trip to Rennes, Angers will be able to receive the seasoned Nabil Bentaleb upon his release from suspension. A staggering number of Angers players are out due to injury, including Amine Salama, who is questionable following a muscle issue.

Faouzi Ghoulam and Pierrick Capelle, two regular starters, are among the other nine injured players. While Souleyman Doumbia and Farid El Melali are also recovering from injuries, Lois Diony and Ilyes Chetti are still out for the foreseeable future.

Angers's possible starting lineup:

Goalkeeper: Bernardoni; 

Defenders: Valery, Camara, Hountondji, Bamba, Kalumba; 

Midfielders: Abdelli, Mendy, Bentaleb; 

Strikers: Bahoya, Niane

With their recent results on the decline, Rennes will need a good finish if they want to play in Europe next season. This match may be the ideal starting point for them to start making things better. Although they are still engaged in combat, Angers is currently in a position where it is unlikely that they will be able to save themselves.

They just lack the ability to win this match with just 25 goals scored and 68 surrendered. This game should be won by the home team with potential 2-0 or 3-0 score line.