Rennes vs Le Havre prediction: FRANCE: Ligue 1 betting tips on match 2023-08-26 11:00.
Rennes followed up an impressive opening day 5-1 win here against Metz with a 1-1 draw away to title-chasing Lens this past weekend. That success extended their unbeaten Ligue 1 run to six matches including the end of last season (W5, D1), their best such streak since November, and a satisfied Bruno Génésio declared post-match that he felt the result was a sign that his side were “progressing”.
Génésio will have to keep trying to build momentum without star man Jérémy Doku, after European champions Manchester City agreed a £55.5million deal for the winger earlier this week. That sum will at least boost his budget when it comes to adding reinforcements, but for now the focus will be kickstarting a repeat of last season’s 100% home record against new Ligue 1 arrivals.
Le Havre already had one win on the board after two games in their last ill-fated campaign in France’s top tier back in 2008/09. However, a stoppage-time equaliser in their opener at Montpellier (2-2) is the only reason they’ve not started this Ligue 1 season with zero points on the board after last week’s 2-1 home defeat to Brest. That proved a costly day in more ways than one, with key midfielder Oussama Targhalline forced to withdraw in the warm-up, leaving him a doubt for this clash.
While Le Havre’s wait for a first Ligue 1 win since May 2009 goes on, perhaps they can take some comfort from the fact they started last season without a win in their opening three Ligue 2 games but still went on to achieve promotion as champions. Their away form was key to their success, and their 2-2 draw at Montpellier two weeks ago contributed to an overall record of one competitive defeat on the road in 12 outings (W4, D7), something that could inspire confidence here.
Players to watch: January signing Ibrahim Salah scored a double in Rennes’ opener, meaning all three of his competitive goals since arriving have come at Roazhon Park. After two rounds, no Ligue 1 player had committed more fouls than Le Havre defender Gautier Lloris (six). He also scored their first Ligue 1 goal since promotion away at Montpellier two weeks ago.
Hot stat: Rennes have scored inside the opening 30 minutes in four of their last five home Ligue 1 matches.