Rennes vs Montpellier prediction: FRANCE: Ligue 1 betting tips on match 2024-02-02 16:00.
Julien Stéphan’s successful second spell as Rennes manager continued last week as his side raced into a 3-0 first-half lead at Lyon and, although they did concede twice after the break, they held on for their sixth league victory of the season. Prior to his appointment in November, the Red and Blacks had won only twice in Ligue 1 during the campaign, but Stéphan has lifted them from 13th to ninth while masterminding a run to the Coupe de France last 16, with a trip to third-tier Sochaux on the horizon.
Gunning for their sixth successive win across all competitions, and a seventh game without defeat, Rennes welcome Montpellier to Roazhon Park on Saturday, boasting an eight-match unbeaten home H2H streak (W6, D2) and with only two goals conceded across those games. Highly fancied by the bookies to take all three points here, they will close the gap to just one point on eighth-placed Lens should they land the odds.
Despite no victory in Rennes since 2014, and a 2-0 defeat at Brest on their last visit to Brittany in mid-January, Montpellier have won three of their last four away outings, including a 4-0 thrashing of fourth-tier Entente Feignies Aulnoye in the Coupe de France. However, they have failed to score in both their league encounters so far in 2024 (D1, L1) and have won only one of their last ten in the division (D5, L4).
Unsurprisingly therefore, La Paillade find themselves just three points above the relegation play-off position, with manager Michel Der Zakarian (also in a second spell at his club) in danger of tarnishing his legacy. And with six-pointers against relegation-threatened Metz and Lyon up next in the league, picking up something from this long journey north is much-needed.
Key battle: In-form Martin Terrier has scored three times in the last two games, with Rennes now unbeaten across the last 15 matches in which he has found the net (W13, D2). Looking to stop him will be Montpellier goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte, who is targeting his third successive clean sheet, having shut out Rennes during the reverse fixture in September.
Hot stat: Montpellier have failed to score a second-half goal in their last six league matches.