Rennes vs Strasbourg prediction: FRANCE: Ligue 1 betting tips on match 2023-10-28 16:05.
Rennes secured a morale-boosting 2-1 win away at Panathinaikos in UEFA Europa League action on Thursday, ending their three-game losing run in the process. That victory came after manager Bruno Génésio claimed that his team “mentally aren’t at the level of the club’s ambitions at this moment,” before calling on them to play with more freedom. You could argue we saw evidence of that as Thursday’s win was the first game in four in which they scored more than one goal.
Génésio will be desperate to see his side back that up with a league win here, especially as just two victories across the opening nine Ligue 1 rounds means that this is Rennes’ worst start since 2018/19. Both wins came at home, while only Ligue 1 champions PSG have managed to come away with three points from Roazhon Park in their last ten competitive matches here (W7, D2).
Strasbourg come into this clash having suffered defeat in each of their last three Ligue 1 outings, the first time they’ve suffered that fate since November 2020. This streak represents the first tricky period for manager Patrick Vieira since he joined the club in the summer, although with five more points on the board than they had after nine rounds last season, there shouldn’t be too much internal panic just yet.
Vieira won’t want to see that poor run extended here though, but road trips have been Strasbourg’s Achilles' heel of late. Including the back end of last season, they’ve lost four of their last five Ligue 1 away matches and have scored just two goals in that time, form which sees them enter this round with only two sides having scored fewer goals this season (G8).
Players to watch: Rennes’ Amine Gouiri netted inside seven minutes on Thursday night, whilst he also scored twice before half-time in this fixture last season (3-0), extending Rennes’ H2H record to one defeat in eight (W6, D1). Strasbourg right-back Marvin Senaya might not yet have a goal or assist to his name, but he is often a tricky opponent, highlighted by the fact that only three Ligue 1 players have been fouled more often coming into the round (19).
Hot stat: Strasbourg are the only Ligue 1 side yet to score in the first half this season.