Rennes are looking to continue a great run of results after beating Marseille at Velodrome with home game against Nancy a perfect opportunity to make amends for the Europa League defeat to Udinese. Nancy remained in the relegation zone after the goalless draw with Auxerre and they certainly face an uphill task at Stade de la Route de Lorient.

Rennes on fire

Backed by a very ambitious owner and constantly plucking fresh talent from best youth academy in France, Rennes always had enough potential to become one of top French sides and their fans are certainly happy les Bretons are finally stepping up the plate. Frederic Antonetti’s side started this season earlier than other French sides due to their Europa League commitments and that allowed them to hit the ground running early on. The team have been nothing short of impressive in nine out of ten games this season, with the 4:0 defeat to Montpellier clearly a one-off result. Rennes did end the three-match winning run by losing to Udinese in Europa League, but Frederic Antonetti was more than happy with how his weakened line-up coped with very good Italian side, even if les Bretons lost the game after missing a host of clear-cut chances. Several first team regulars will return to the side after being rested against Udinese, meaning that home win should never come into question.

Kader Mangane and Razak Boukari are out after picking up injuries against Udinese, but Antonetti has good replacements for them in the likes of Jean-Armel Kana Biyik and Youssouf Hadji.

Tough season for Nancy

If you have read our French Ligue 1 Season Preview, you will remember that Nancy were tipped as one of the sides likely to face a difficult relegation fight and the predictions are proving to be spot on. Following the departure of talented coach Pablo Correa and key players Feret, N’Guemo and Hadji, the team are largely struggling at the start of the season, and they look like one of the main candidates for the drop. Following the lucky draw against Lille in their opening game, Nancy recorded three straight defeats, all to bottom table sides, before sharing spoils at home with Auxerre. There is an evident lack of talent in the squad, as well as experience, so there is no way that Nancy will be able to match in-form Rennes side at their own ground. Nancy did beat Rennes away from home in the final stage of last season, but they clearly don’t have what it takes to repeat such a result.

Reynald Lemaitre and Massadio Haidara miss out through injury, but Djamel Bakar and Bakaye Traore should be fit to feature.

Verdict

Rennes have been in impressive form at the start of the season and les Bretons should be able to record a comfortable win over struggling Nancy. Current form, quality, experience and home field advantage are on Rennes’ side, so les Bretons look like a very good bet here.

Our prediction: Rennes with -0.75 Asian handicap

Odds: 1.95 (19/20)

Bookmaker: Bet365