Rennes vs Lille prediction: FRANCE: Ligue 1 betting tips on match 2023-02-03 20:00.
Rennes, Ligue 1’s best home side this term (W10, L1), enjoy the luxury of back-to-back games on their own territory which has aided their pursuit of a top-four finish. However their 3-0 midweek victory over Strasbourg continued a strange six-game sequence since the season’s restart which has seen a loss followed by a win three times, but with each of those victories coming on home soil, another home game against Lille seemingly presents the perfect opportunity to buck that trend.
Bruno Génésio’s men appear well placed to do just that as they’ve won ten consecutive home league games, and are now looking to make it 11 on the spin for the first time in their top-flight history. That stellar record has largely been built on fast starts as Rennes have scored first in nine of their 11 home games this term, so it perhaps comes as no surprise that they are the only Ligue 1 side yet to trail a home league game at half-time this season (HT: W6, D5).
Lille travel south with the same goal of pursuing the European places at the forefront of their minds, although their momentum has stalled since the season’s resumption with just two wins to their name (D3, L1). Their latest disappointment saw the Mastiffs fail to break down Clermont in a goalless draw, but manager Paulo Fonseca remained upbeat, stating his side “did everything to win”.
Star striker Jonathan David was absent for that clash, and goals have run dry for Lille of late, with failure to score in three of their last four league games (W1, D2, L1) largely behind their slump in form. Couple that goal-shy nature with just two wins from their last seven road trips in Ligue 1 (D1, L4) and Lille seemingly face an uphill battle if they are to secure a third-straight H2H win on Rennes’ turf.
Players to watch: In the continued absence of Martin Terrier, Amine Gouiri has stepped up for Rennes, with his brace against Strasbourg taking his goal tally to eight in Ligue 1 this season. Standing in his way could well be José Fonte, who was on the scoresheet in this season’s reverse fixture (D 1-1) and hasn’t been on the losing side against Rennes in his last seven personal Ligue 1 H2Hs (W3, D4).
Hot streak: None of Lille’s last five Ligue 1 away games have seen both teams score.