Lyon welcome Rennes to the Groupama Stadium for a French Ligue 1 clash. With the host battling for a place in Europe next season and the visitors looking to finish the season on a high, a thrilling contest can be expected here.
Lyon come into this game off the back of a 2-1 defeat at Saint-Etienne in their previous Ligue 1 fixture. That was their third defeat in six matches in all competitions and leaves them three points behind the top three.
Paulo Fonseca's men have also been solid at home, winning four of their last five matches at the Groupama Stadium. They have scored at least two goals in all five matches but have kept just one clean sheet in that run.
Rennes are showing plenty of improvement lately and have won three of their last four Ligue 1 matches. They claimed a 2-1 victory over Nantes in their previous fixture, a result that saw them break into the top 10, although Habib Beye's team are some way off the European places.
The visitors have done well on their recent travels, winning four of their last five away matches, including a 5-1 victory at Le Havre in their previous fixture. There are often goals whenever they travel, with four of their last seven away matches producing over 3.5 goals.
How the bookies view it: Bookies backing Lyon
Lyon are considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies, with BoyleSports offering 7/10 for a home win. A victory for Rennes is priced at 14/5 while a draw has been set at odds of 14/5 by BoyleSports.
Head to head: Lyon on top
Lyon have a 25-20 advantage with 17 draws from 62 previous matches against Rennes. However, the visitors have won the last two meetings, including a 3-0 victory in the reverse fixture.
Players to watch: In-form Kalimuendo
Arnaud Kalimuendo is the man in form for Rennes having found the net five times in his last five appearances and will be the one to watch. He is the leading scorer for the visitors with 14 Ligue 1 goals and is priced at 9/4 by BoyleSports to score anytime.
Alexandre Lacazette is Lyon’s top scorer with 14 goals, two of which have come in the last three league games. The striker is worth keeping an eye on at 6/5 with BoyleSports.
Probable line-ups
Corentin Tolisso, Nemanja Matic, Enzo Molebe and Ernest Nuamah are all unavailable for Lyon due to injuries. However, Lacazette, Ryan Cherki and Georges Mikautadze are expected to start.
Asides Alidu Seidu who is out injured, Rennes have a fully fit squad to select from. The likes of Mousa Tamari, Seko Fofana and Kalimuendo all expected to start.
Lyon: Dechamps, Kumbedi, Caleta-Car, Niakhate, Vinicius, Veretout, Tessman, Akouokou, Cherki, Lacazette, Mikautadze
Rennes: Samba, Brassier, Rouault, Jaxquet, Truffert, Fofana, Cisse, Matusiwa, Assignon, Tamari, Kalimuendo
Anything else catch the eye?
Five of the last seven meetings between both sides have produced over 3.5 goals, which is priced at 7/5 with BoyleSports. Over 2.5 goals is valued at 11/20 by BoyleSports, who are also offering 8/15 on both teams to score.
There have been more goals after the break in Lyon’s last three home games and this clash could be set to produce a similar outcome at 10/11 with BoyleSports.
This French Ligue 1 match between Lyon and Rennes will be played on and kick off at 20:05. Check below for our tipsters best Lyon vs Rennes prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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