PSG travel to Roazhon Park to take on a familiar nemesis in Rennes this Sunday
Defending champions PSG sit pretty at the top of the Ligue 1 standings and will hope to hold onto their lead when they travel to Roazhon Park on Sunday night to take on Rennes. The game will see the league’s best home side clash against the best team on the road.
Les Rouge et Noir have been the bane of Paris Saint Germain’s existence in recent years and have beaten them more times than any other side in the league since the Qatari takeover. More so, Roazhon Park has not been a kind venue for the visitors who have come away with just one point from their last three trips to the venue.
The home side are also chasing history as they look for a ninth straight home win in the league. Never in their 121-year history have they managed to achieve the feat. However, Bruno Genesio’s side have suffered a wobble in their form and will need to get their act together should they come away with a point or more on the night.
PSG will be buoyed by the return of their magnificent front three, all of whom are available for the trip. The trio have formed the attacking crux of Christophe Galtier’s side and are difficult to pen in on their day.
Rennes are far from assured a Champions League spot and have seen their recent results plummet them to the fourth position in Ligue 1. Unless they get their act together and sort out the issues, a spot at Europe’s top table will be unlikely come to the end of the season.
PSG currently have a six-point lead over Lens in the second spot. A loss on the night will see them fall to within touching distance for Les Sang et Or to catch up to. Something has got to give on the night, and it remains to be seen which side’s ambitions will suffer a kick.
The Hard Tackle looks at how both sides could line up on the night and what tactics they might employ.
Team News & Tactics
Rennes
[PROS]
💪🔜 #SRFCPSG pic.twitter.com/YHUizf2gcM
— Stade Rennais F.C. (@staderennais) January 13, 2023
Rennes have tumbled down the standings in recent weeks and now are struggling to gain a foothold to qualify for the UEFA Champions League. While they do have comfort on the night, they will have to go about the task sans some key players.
The biggest absentee will no doubt be top scorer Martin Terrier, whose ACL injury will keep him out for the remainder of the season. Genesio will also be without Benjamin Bourigeaud and Warmed Omari, both of who were sent off against Clermont and are suspended for the weekend.
To add to Rennes’ woes, Xeka and Baptiste Santamaria are also out injured, both of them nursing ankle issues. To call their job on the night challenging would be an understatement. While Rennes have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last five games, they have also not gone without scoring for the previous 32 clashes as well.
Genesio is likely to deploy his side in a 4-3-3 formation with Steve Mandanda in goal. The Frenchman will start behind the back four of Hamari Traore, Christopher Wooh, Arthur Theate and Adrien Truffert.
Lovro Majer and Flavien Tait, and Lesley Ugochukwu should form the central midfield on the night. The trio will be hard-pressed to seize control of the middle of the park, but doing so should give them the initiative in the game, cutting off supply to the PSG front three.
The attack is likely to be led on the night by former PSG star Arnaud Kalimuendo with Jeremy Doku and Amine Gouiri in support. Doku, in particular, can take advantage of Achraf Hakimi’s forward forays to run into space and cause PSG problems. With Sergio Ramos also getting slower, Rennes’s Belgian star could inflict some serious damage.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Mandanda; Traore, Wooh, Theate, Truffert; Majer, Ugochukwu, Tait; Gouiri, Kalimuendo, Doku
PSG
The French champions have lost just once this season and have looked largely formidable under Galtier. The Frenchman will welcome back Kylian Mbappe and Achraf Hakimi, further bolstering his starting XI on the night.
Defenders Presnel Kimpembe and Nuno Mendes are still recovering from their injuries, while Galtier is hopeful that Renato Sanches will be back in contention. Star midfielder Marco Verratti missed the game against Angers with a training ground injury and is a doubt for the game.
With Mbappe back, striker Hugo Ekitike should make way despite scoring four times in his last five appearances. While the youngster has done an admirable job, the PSG front three, more or less, picks itself.
Galtier is likely to go with his 4-3-1-2 formation on the night with Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal. Achraf Hakimi and Juan Bernat will provide width from the wing-back spot, with Marquinhos and Sergio Ramos forming the centre-back pairing.
Preparation continues for #SRFCPSG! 🔜 pic.twitter.com/G44cZmgfRE
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) January 13, 2023
Danilo Pereira is likely to start at the tip of the PSG midfield in Verratti’s absence and will be flanked by Vitinha and Fabian Ruiz. Lionel Messi made a goalscoring return to PSG colours last time around and will reprise his number 10 role on the night. Neymar and Mbappe should start up front and are likely to thrive in front of goal, with Messi pulling the strings.
The Argentine has a chip on his shoulder since his World Cup triumph and it would appear that the pressure is off. With his legacy more or less cemented, the Argentine can now enjoy his game, making him a far more threatening player for opposition defences to come up against.
Probable Lineup (4-3-1-2): Donnarumma; Hakimi, Ramos, Marquinhos, Bernat; Ruiz, Pereira, Vitinha; Messi; Neymar, Mbappe
Key Stats
- Rennes have beaten PSG more times (5) than any other side since the Qatari takeover of the latter.
- Rennes are currently unbeaten in their last three home games in Ligue 1 against PSG. Only AS Monaco have managed to have a better record (2008-2015).
- PSG’s return of 47 points from 18 Ligue 1 games, is the fourth-best start by a club at this point in the season.
- A win on the night will see Rennes extend their winning streak to nine home games in Ligue 1, their best run ever.
- Only PSG have won more home games in Ligue 1 than Rennes since the start of the 2021/22 season.
Player to Watch
Kylian Mbappe
The Frenchman won the golden boot at the World Cup and is on his day the best forward in world football. Having allowed a breather following the heartbreak in Qatar, Mbappe will now take his slot upfront for PSG alongside his South American maestros.
Brimming with pace and clinical in the box, Mbappe will be difficult to pin down on the night. Add to it his ability to latch onto Messi’s passes, and it is clear to see that the Rennes defence will be in for a busy night. The 24-year-old holds a two-goal lead in the race for this season’s Ligue 1 golden boot and can pull further away with a strike or two on the night.
Prediction
Rennes 1-2 PSG
Roazhon Park is a difficult place for any team to come and get a result, and it is no different for PSG. The visitors will be buoyed by the home side’s absentees and current form, handing them an advantage when it comes to momentum. However, as we saw against Lens, PSG can not afford to take their foot off the gas.
With the prolific PSG front three now back, Rennes could struggle to hold their own and are likely to surrender their home record on the night. It is likely to be a closer game than thought, but PSG’s match-winners should decide the game in their favour.
