Rennes vs Paris Saint-Germain
Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain take a trip westwards across France on Sunday to the historic city of Rennes, but they aren’t going for a sight-seeing trip.
With a maximum 24 points from eight games the Parisiens are determined to reclaim the title they dramatically lost last season and the hosts could be ripe for the picking.
Rennes come into the game on the back of a Europa League win over Vitesse while PSG are on the crest of a wave after their Champions League win over Manchester City.
So PSG are aiming to make it nine wins from nine and our SBOTOP odd are pointing to an away victory. My question is…by how many?
Talking Points
Messi off the mark
The pre-season Ligue 1 news was dominated by the arrival of, arguably, the best player on the planet to the French league, as Lionel Messi joined Mauricio Pochettino’s PSG. The capital city went temporarily crazy and the excitement has yet to dissipate. He’s taken a while to score his first goal in a Paris shirt, but it was certainly a piece of Messi Magic which helped the Parisiens beat Manchester City 2-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday.
The French side was pushed hard by a world class Manchester side and Messi might take a place on the bench when they head to Rennes. Of course Pochettino has no shortage of options up front. Kylian Mbappe, who’s own future was uncertain during the frantic summer transfer window, has been in fine form, scoring five goals, while Mauro Icardi has three, and wing back Achraf Hakimi is also impressing with his all action displays. Centre back Sergio Ramos is yet to make a start and remains sidelined, while Marquinhos, who had a busy night against the Sky Blues, may also take a back seat.
But the Ligue 1 betting odds aren’t going to look anywhere other than in the direction of Paris this season as Pochettino’s team has taken a nine point lead already and is already 13 points ahead of 2021 champions Lille.
Rennes missing the spark of Camavinga
It’s been a difficult start to the season for les Rennais, not least because they had to say goodbye to their brightest star when 18 year old Eduardo Camavinga signed for Real Madrid on deadline day. This time last year Stade Rennes were third in the Ligue 1 table with 15 points, but they now find themselves in 13th with nine.
Even though he was so young Camavinga was part of the scenery in Rennes having been with the club since the age of 11, and he has already developed into an exciting attacking midfielder with an eye for the spectacular goal. Camavinga is the youngest player ever to represent Rennes, at 16 years and four months, when he made his debut in 2019 in a 3-3 draw with Angers.
The hosts played out a 1-1 draw with Bordeaux last week and are making a steady recovery from a very poor start, but they will need to up their game dramatically if they are to test a rampant PSG. Head coach Bruno Genesio is without injured striker Jeremy Doku, but Ghana forward Kameel-Deen Sulemana will hope to continue his scoring form and add to his three goals.
History
We all know how dominant PSG have been since the billions of Euros arrived in Paris a decade ago, but what of Rennes? Well les Rennais have been Ligue 2 champions twice and they have won the Coupe de France three times, most recently in 2019.
And the club has developed stars such as Barcelona and France striker Ousmane Dembele, Everton midfield ace Abdoulaye Doucoure and Chelsea keeper Edouard Mendy.
PSG have had the better of the head to heads but they have been well contested, with Rennes winning 18 to Paris’ 29 in all competitions since 1994.
The last meeting, in May, finished 1-1 as Serhou Guirassy equalised for the hosts after Neymar had scored a penalty. The result was a serious blow to PSG who were in pursuit of eventual champions Lille at the time.
Betting Tip
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Rennes vs Paris Saint-Germain | Paris Saint-Germain Asian Handicap -1.00 @ 1.92 |
| October 3, 19:00 (GMT+8) |
Rennes are at odds of 5.00 to win this game with PSG at a short price of 1.52 and the draw is at 3.98.
It’s difficult to see anything other than an away win, with the visitors in ruthless form in the French league and impressing in the Champions League, while the hosts are looking a little lost.
Rennes fans will be in two minds whether they’ll want to see Messi on the pitch, but either way they’ll need everything to go for them if they are to frustrate the Parisiens again.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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|---|---|---|---|
| = €20 (Highly confident) |
 = €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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