Roazhon Park
27.05.2023, 22:00
When Rennes welcomes Monaco to Roazhon Park on Saturday, they might pass Monaco in the Ligue 1 standings with a win. A position in the Europa League for the next season is up for grabs, as both teams are competing in a three-way race for fourth place. With just three points separating the two teams in the rankings, an exciting matchup between the two teams in the competitive battle for a Europa League berth is expected.
While thrashing 10-man Ajaccio 5-0 at the Stade Francois Coty on Sunday, Stade Rennais maintained their hopes of playing in Europe alive. In their last four games, Les Rennais have won three of them while scoring an astounding 14 goals and recording two draws during the final week of April.
Bruno Genesio's team has been in excellent form lately, and they have moved up to sixth position in the Ligue 1 standings, three points behind the opponents on Saturday who will be competing for a Europa League spot.
Monaco continued their terrible late-season record last Friday when they were defeated by Olympique Lyon. Since mid-April, Philippe Clement's team has lost three and drawn one of their previous five games, failing to win four of those contests. Their current lack of sting in attack, where they have scored just three goals in their previous five games, has contributed to this terrible run of outcomes.
Get Your Sign-Up Bonus!Rennes (WLWLWW)
With three victories in four games, Rennes seemed to have hit its stride in 2022–23, positioning itself for a place in Europe for the following season. Before Rennes' 4-2 triumph over demoted Angers at the end of April, they had dropped three of their previous four games. The team led by Bruno Genesio then suffered a 2-1 defeat at Nice, but they bounced back to defeat Troyes and Ajaccio in consecutive games.
The Brittany-based team had only managed one clean sheet in five games before to the successive shutouts, which gave them confidence going into their last match against Monaco.
With a victory, Rennes would overtake the Monegasques and be three points ahead of the team they host on Saturday. Lille, who plays relegation-threatened Nantes this weekend, is two points behind Rennes. However, unless Nantes shocks Lille at Stade Pierre Mauroy, moving up to fourth place is not inevitable.
Due to injuries that ruined their seasons, Martin Terrier, Xeka, Adrien Truffert, and Djed Spence won't be playing for Rennes.
Rennes' possible starting lineup:
Goalkeeper: Mandanda
Defenders: Traore, Omari, Rodon, Belocian
Midfielders: Bourigeaud, Santamaria, Majer
Strikers: Doku, Toko Ekambi, Gouiri
Monaco (WLLWDL)
The timing of Monaco's Ligue 1 slump is unfortunate; Philippe Clement's team has lost three of their previous five league games while failing to earn all possible points in three of those contests. Prior to the unexpected decline in performances and outcomes, the team had managed to get 10 of the 12 points that were available.
It is noteworthy that only three goals have been scored in five rounds for Clement's club, who have failed to score in back-to-back home games with the 4-0 humiliation against Montpellier possibly their season's low point.
A 2-1 victory at Angers hasn't sparked a turnaround, and their battle to hold in fourth place is further highlighted by a 3-1 away loss to Olympique Lyon in the previous round. But before the match on Saturday, away supporters can have some optimism because Monaco has the third-best road record in Ligue 1.
Malang Sarr is still unavailable due to injury. Breel Embolo had 12 goals in Ligue 1 before suffering a knee injury that kept him out from mid-March to mid-May. After two cameo appearances against Lille and Lyon, the Swiss international was able to start for the first time in that time.
Monaco's possible starting lineup:
Goalkeeper: Nubel
Defenders: Disasi, Matsima, Henrique
Midfielders: Vanderson, Fofana, Matazo, Jakobs
Strikers: Minamino, Golovin, Ben Yedder
Expert Betting Tips
We anticipate a competitive game at Roazhon Park since both teams' hopes of qualifying for the Europa League are on the line. However, the home team is likely to win considering their impressive form.
Goals from both sides are also expected with a potential scoreline of 2-1, 3-1, or 4-1.