Afghanistan
Angola
Argentina
Asia (AFC)
Asian Games
Australia
Belgium-Netherlands
Brazil
Burkina Faso
Central American & Caribbean Games
Central American Games
Congo DR
Denmark
England
Europe (UEFA)
FYR Macedonia
Finland
Germany
Greece
International Tournaments
Italy
Mediterranean Games
Mexico
National
Nepal
North & Central America (Concacaf)
Palestine
Pan American Games
Panama
Russia
Scandinavia
Serbia And Montenegro
South American Games
Spain
Syria
USA
Venezuela
World (FIFA)
Yemen
Zimbabwe

Rennesvs.Monaco

sportsmole.co.uk, 3 October 2024, 20:29
Monaco will look to keep tabs with Paris Saint-Germain at the top of Ligue 1 when they travel to Rennes on Saturday night.

Adi Hutter's men come into the game off the back of a late fightback in Croatia on Wednesday, which maintained their unbeaten start.

Match preview

On a rainy, sodden pitch at the Maksimir, Monaco fought against adversity to snatch an unlikely point away to Dinamo Zagreb in midweek.

Both Dinamo goals were of the highest quality, while even Hutter would admit Monaco's first was very scruffy, before Denis Zakaria levelled from the spot on 90 minutes.

That means they have taken four points from their opening two Champions League games, after also beating Barcelona on matchday one, keeping their unbeaten start to the season going.

A stunning run of form domestically has complemented that, as Monaco have made the best start to a season since they won their first Ligue 1 title back in 1960-61, when they won six from six.

Not even in 2016-17 when Monaco beat PSG to the title did they make this good of a start, as they had just 13 points from their opening six on that occasion, compared to 16 so far this time around.

Only Lens have taken points off Hutter's side so far, but they were slightly fortunate Montpellier did not last weekend, as Lamine Camara's 98th-minute strike handed Monaco a dramatic late win against 10 men.

Next up is Rennes, a side that Monaco beat home and away last season, and a club in transition after a summer of upheaval in the transfer market.

With no European distractions, Rennes can focus solely on aiming for the top four, and bleeding their new players into the squad, but it has been a difficult beginning.

Julien Stephan's side fought until the end at PSG last week, and almost gave the champions a late scare, pulling a goal back and having another disallowed with VAR, but they were eventually beaten 3-1 in the capital.

That defeat means Rennes have lost all three matches on the road so far this season though, meaning Stephan will be glad to be back at Roazhon Park here, where they are four unbeaten in Ligue 1.

This is the 50th time Rennes will host Monaco in all competitions, and they must improve on a win ratio of just 36.7% across those meetings, their second-worst against any club in France.

Rennes Ligue 1 form:

W

L

L

W

D

L

Monaco Ligue 1 form:

W

W

D

W

W

W

Monaco form (all competitions):

D

W

W

W

W

D

Team News

Rennes have just one injury concern at present, and that is regarding Jota, as the new signing has played just 23 minutes since joining from Al Ittihad before sustaining a muscle injury.

Stephan went more defensive for the trip to the Parc des Princes last week, so some personnel changes could occur, including the return of Albert Gronbaek in attack.

Hans Hateboer and Glen Kamara will also be battling to regain their places in the starting XI, but may both start on the bench again here.

Radoslaw Majecki has been out for two months, but returned to the bench in midweek and could provide stiff opposition to Philipp Kohn, who has been the undisputed number one so far for Monaco.

Edan Diop is the only first-team player currently out injured, while another young attacker, Eliesse Ben Seghir, could return after only starting on the bench in midweek.

Hutter has not settled on a back four just yet and has changed his selection often this season, with Wilfried Singo, Jordan Teze and Christian Mawissa Elebi providing more depth in the centre behind Thilo Kehrer and Mohammed Salisu.

Rennes possible starting lineup:

Mandanda; Ostigard, Wooh, Seidu; Assignon, Santamaria, Matusiwa, Truffert; Blas, Kalimuendo, Gronbaek

Monaco possible starting lineup:

Kohn; Vanderson, Kehrer, Salisu, Caio Henrique; Zakaria, Camara; Akliouche, Golovin, Ben Seghir; Embolo

We say: Rennes 1-2 Monaco

Monaco have won six of their last nine Ligue 1 encounters against Rennes, and will be slight favourites here despite the electric atmosphere expected under the lights.

Previews by email

Top News

14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Locked together at the top of League C Group 1 with two games to play, Sweden and Slovakia will battle it out to take the outright lead when they meet on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal will reportedly allow out-of-favour defender Jakub Kiwior to leave the club on loan in January. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Wales travel to the Kadir Has Stadium in Kayseri to face Turkey in their penultimate League B Group 4 fixture in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona midfielder Pablo Torre has not ruled out the possibility of leaving the club in January, after seeing his game time reduced recently. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to narrow their gap to the top two in the League One table with a third consecutive victory, Barnsley will visit the Abbey Stadium to take on Cambridge United on Saturday. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Alexander Isak has delivered a fresh update on his future at Newcastle United, amid reported interest from a number of clubs including Arsenal. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Roma have confirmed the appointment of 73-year-old Claudio Ranieri as their new first-team manager until the end of the season. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon has revealed that he was "desperate" to join Chelsea in 2022. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal could rival Manchester City and Liverpool for the signature of Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool are reportedly weighing up whether to make a move for in-form PSV Eindhoven striker Ricardo Pepi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk As exquisite as Pedro Neto's equaliser was, the Portuguese's 20-yard leveller for Chelsea in Sunday's 1-1 Premier League draw with Arsenal was arguably more to do with the Gunners' uncharacteristic defensive failings. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona have reportedly made a decision over whether they will pursue a move for Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Estevao Willian has revealed that he will continue with his education even after completing a big-money transfer to Chelsea. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City are reportedly going to give Real Sociedad "a long and hard winter" in their pursuit of midfielder Martin Zubimendi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Embroiled in a fight against relegation to the UEFA Nations League's lowest level, Azerbaijan and Estonia will clash in Qabala on Saturday afternoon. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England captain Harry Kane has reportedly emerged as a late doubt for Thursday's UEFA Nations League meeting with Greece due to a knock. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong is expected to be given the all-clear for Saturday's all-important UEFA Nations League clash with Hungary in Amsterdam. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Locked together on five points in League A Group 3 of the UEFA Nations League, the Netherlands and Hungary meet on Saturday in a winner-takes-all clash at the Johan Cruyff Arena. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Both vying for promotion to the UEFA Nations League's top tier, Albania and League B Group 1 leaders Czech Republic will lock horns on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona sporting director Deco has insisted that his club are not currently looking to bring in a replacement for Robert Lewandowski, with the striker in excellent form for the Catalan giants this season. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega will be eyeing a debut for the Germany national team in Saturday's UEFA Nations League clash with Bosnia-Herzegovina in League A Group 3. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona sporting director Deco is confident that the club will be able to sign Pedri to a new long-term contract. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Needing just a point to all but guarantee a first-placed finish in League A Group 3 of the UEFA Nations League, Germany welcome Bosnia-Herzegovina to the Europa-Park Stadion in Freiburg on Saturday. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Christian Eriksen has revealed that he is 'yet to hear anything' from Manchester United over his future. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk As closely contested League B Group 1 nears its conclusion, promotion - and relegation - rivals Georgia and Ukraine will meet in Batumi on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly considering making a move for Dinamo Zagreb midfielder Martin Baturina during the January transfer window. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk With all eyes fixed on the January transfer market, clubs around the UK and Europe are already lining up potential mid-season moves. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk With all eyes fixed on the January transfer market, clubs around the UK and Europe are already lining up potential mid-season moves. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Kazakhstan vs. Austria (Thursday, 3.00pm) Amid a three-way battle for promotion from League B Group 3, Austria aim to improve their prospects with a win on Thursday, when they meet Kazakhstan in the UEFA Nations League. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Athletico Paranaense can temporarily climb out of the Brasileiro Serie A relegation zone with a victory over Atletico Mineiro on Saturday at Arena de Baixada.