On Sunday afternoon, Rennes and Metz meet at Roazhon Park as both teams look to get the 2023/24 Ligue One campaign off to a winning start.
The home team enjoyed another strong Ligue One campaign last season, finishing fourth place and claiming European football for this season.
🔜 Cap sur le premier match de championnat ! ⚔️#ToutDonner pic.twitter.com/ZPnNJy7J6n— Stade Rennais F.C. (@staderennais) August 8, 2023
🔜 Cap sur le premier match de championnat ! ⚔️#ToutDonner pic.twitter.com/ZPnNJy7J6n
Rennes finished last season in a positive manner, recording four straight league victories while scoring at least two goals in each of the wins.
At the other end of the pitch, they conceded just one goal in their four-match winning run.
Rennes also finished last season with impressive home form in the French top flight, as they won their previous four league matches on home soil, scoring at least two goals in each victory.
Bruno Genesio’s team were four games unbeaten in pre-season until a 2-1 defeat at Premier League Wolves ended the stellar summer run of form.
The visitors won promotion from the French second tier by finishing second place in the table.
It was a quick return for Metz to Ligue One, as they last featured in season 2021/22.
Metz finished their last campaign in the French top flight with a mixed run of form, although they did end their previous stint with a 5-0 defeat at PSG, which ended a three-game unbeaten league run.
One aspect of their game that needs to improve in the French top flight this time around is their away form, as they are winless in the previous eight games on their travels.
Laszlo Boloni’s team enjoyed a positive pre-season campaign, as they were unbeaten in three games during the summer while also keeping three straight clean sheets.
Forebet predicts that Rennes will win in a high-scoring match to start the new French top-flight campaign on a winning note.