AS Monaco take on Rennes after dramatic UCL draw against Zagreb.
Rennes vs
Monaco
Stade Rennais F.C. faces a crucial test at Roazhon Park against a resurgent AS Monaco, with both sides eager to sharpen their form in this Saturday's captivating Ligue 1 showdown.
Rennes
A 3-1 defeat to defending champions Paris Saint-Germain last Friday saw Rennes slip two spots down to 10th place, one point behind ninth-placed Nice. Arnaud Kalimuendo’s goal from the spot (75' P) served only as consolation for the Red and Blacks, who had found themselves trailing by three goals as they suffered their third league defeat of the season.
“We were dominated by a team that was able to punish us for long transitions,” Julien Stéphan said after the loss. “We need to improve when we get the ball back and create more clear-cut chances,” he added, with this weekend’s home league game against Monaco offering a chance to address last Friday’s shortcomings.
While Stéphan focuses on fixing the flaws from matchday six, an unimpressive home record against Monaco also awaits rectification. The hosts have lost six of their last nine league games against Saturday’s opponents (2W, 1D, 6L), as many as in their previous 15.
Furthermore, Rennes have managed just a 36.7% win percentage against Monaco in their 50 home games in all competitions, their second-lowest ratio, only behind PSG (36.6%) among opponents they have faced at least 10 times at home. Despite these worrying stats, Stéphan’s men will fancy their chances of grabbing maximum points this weekend, buoyed by recent home form, having gone unbeaten in their last four home league games (2W, 2D, 0L).
However, failure to win this weekend would see Rennes record fewer than two wins at this stage of a Ligue 1 season for a record 12th time. Ludovic Blas, Amine Gouiri, and Kalimuendo will be in attack when Stéphan lays out the 3—4—3.
Monaco
Monaco are coming off a 2-2 comeback draw against Dinamo Zagreb in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night. The Red and Whites fought back from a two-goal deficit courtesy of goals from Mohammed Salisu [74’] and Denis Zakaria [90’ P].
‘I can't say that I am happy, but after being behind by two goals, I must say that I am satisfied to get a draw,’ Adi Hütter said, after seeing his team fail to record a win for the first time in over a month.
Prior to Wednesday’s clash, Monaco had recorded four straight victories in all competitions, including a 2-1 league victory against Montpellier last weekend. This winning streak propelled them to second place, level on points with table-topping PSG.
They make the trip to Rennes this weekend, aiming to return with a win. A 4—2—2 formation is expected, with Folarin Balogun and Breel Embolo in attack.
