Rennes vs Nantes prediction: FRANCE: Ligue 1 betting tips on match 2022-10-08 15:05.
Rennes head into this 88th competitive âDerby de la Bretagneâ against Nantes on an eight-match unbeaten run in all competitions (W5, D3) following their 2-1 UEFA Europa League (UEL) win over Dynamo Kyiv on Thursday. That run has helped them put a slow start to their Ligue 1 campaign behind them and theyâre now knocking on the door of the European qualification places (W4, D3, L2).
Coincidentally though, the last match they lost at home was another Breton derby, when Lorient beat them 1-0 in August, so theyâll be desperate to avoid another defeat as they come up against their biggest rivals. Neutrals might be in for a treat too as the five matches here since (W4, D1) have produced an entertaining average of 3.8 goals per game.
Nantes still lead the all-time H2H stakes (W38, D23, L26) but their 2-1 win in the last H2H encounter was their first victory in five attempts (D1, L3). A disappointing midweek 2-0 UEL defeat to Freiburg heaped more misery on them as they havenât won since beating Olympiacos in early September (D1, L4), leaving Nantes engaged in a battle to get clear of the bottom four.
Their recent record here is hardly inspiring either, as they havenât won an away H2H since September 2013 (D3, L6), although the last five of those defeats all came via a slim one-goal margin, so they can expect to put up a fight. Thatâs the least under-pressure manager Antoine Koumbouare will expect, and a rare away derby win would greatly strengthen his position.
Players to watch: Martin Terrier scored the only goal of the game in the last two H2Hs Rennes have hosted, both times netting between the 50th and 60th minute. Moses Simon, the last Nantes player to find the net, has scored three of his last five goals before the 35th minute.
Hot stat: Five of the last six H2Hs were goalless at half-time.