Rennes vs Nice prediction: FRANCE: Ligue 1 betting tips on match 2024-01-12 20:00.
After ending 2023 with three defeats from their final four home games, mid-table Rennes will be determined to improve their form at Roazhon Park in 2024 and salvage what’s so far been a disappointing season. But after defeating second-tier Guingamp 2-0 in the Coupe de France on Sunday, they face a tough start to the year in front of their home fans as title-challenging Nice come to town.
Since beginning his second tenure in charge of The Red and Blacks in November, Julien Stéphan has picked up just seven points from five league games (W2, D1, L2), with both defeats coming against sides who, like Nice, start the round in the top-six. That’ll worry the Rennes faithful who’ve spent large portions of this campaign nervously looking over their shoulders, with just five points separating them from the relegation places pre-round.
Nice can close the gap to table-topping PSG to just two points with a win, but in order to do so, they need to turn around their poor recent road form. The Eaglets picked up just one point and scored only once in their final three Ligue 1 away matches of 2023, a surprising nosedive considering that they had won their previous four such matches!
Overall though, it was an excellent first half of the season for Italian manager Francesco Farioli. Under his tutelage, Nice have the strongest defence in the division, conceding just nine goals from their opening 17 matches. A clean sheet victory over Rennes in November forms part of that run, so the visitors will be targeting a third successive H2H victory in their opening league clash of 2024.
Key battle: Rennes forward Arnaud Kalimuendo netted both of Rennes’ goals in the cup last weekend, and also opened the scoring for his side in their last league game. Looking to stop him will be Nice goalkeeper Marcin Bułka who has been ever-present in Ligue 1 and has kept 11 clean-sheets, four of which came on the road.
Hot stat: Rennes have failed to score in only one of their last 16 home games across all competitions.