Nice vs Rennes prediction: FRANCE: Ligue 1 betting tips on match 2023-11-04 19:45.
Francesco Farioli’s Nice are enjoying a simply sublime start to the Ligue 1 season, hitting the summit after ten rounds with their 1-0 win over Clermont last weekend. One of the youngest managers in European football at just 34, Farioli recently called for his men to view the standings “as little as possible,” yet avoiding a peek at the fruits of their labour after the club’s longest unbeaten league start since 2016 may be easier said than done.
That phenomenal start has been built upon rock-solid foundations too, with Nice keeping five consecutive clean sheets ahead of round 11, the club’s longest run of top-flight shutouts in the 21st century. That’s arguably not even the most impressive thing about Nice’s season so far, with the French Riviera outfit the only team across Europe’s traditional top five leagues yet to even fall behind in league action this season!
Next up to try and end that seemingly impregnable streak are Rennes, a side whose two league wins this season are “significantly not enough” according to boss Bruno Génésio, following a disappointing 1-1 draw against Strasbourg. The ingredients for success seem to be there for Rennes, who have been relatively solid this league season (W2, D6, L2), although neither of their two victories came away from home (D3, L1).
One of only five winless away sides ahead of the round, Rennes travel here with a mixed bag of away H2H results across their previous six visits (W1, D3, L2). Any action may come early if the season so far is anything to go by, with all but one of the goals scored in Rennes’ away league games to date coming before half-time, meaning the visitors are yet to concede after the interval on their travels.
Players to watch: Six years older than his manager, veteran Nice defender Dante has played a huge role in their historic run of clean sheets with his tough tackling earning him four 7+ Flashscore ratings and a man of the match across his last five games. He’ll be trying to keep the likes of former teammate Amine Gouiri at bay, who made the switch from Nice to Rennes in 2022/23, and has goal contributions in his last two away appearances (G1, A1).
Hot stat: Rennes have failed to win 11 of their last 13 league games as the pre-match outsider (W2, D4, L7).