After an international break which perhaps did not transcend all football fans but which at least had the merit of bringing us back to the Blues, this weekend marks the return of our good old Ligue 1. With in particular a tempting Rennes-Lille on the program. In a Roazhon Park which will be full, the Reds and Blacks will try to bring the Mastiffs to heel in order to obtain their second success of the season. Meeting scheduled for 5:00 p.m. Saturday.
Whether for Stade Rennais or for Losc, the season is being approached under the best auspices, in particular thanks to an off-season which went well. The presence in Europe of Rennes, in the Europa League, and Lille in the Conference League was excellent news for both clubs. This allowed them to benefit from a certain attractiveness on the transfer market. Florian Maurice, director of Rennes recruitment, carried out an interesting transfer window, notably bringing in talents from Ligue 1 such as Ludovic Blas (20 million) and Enzo Le Fée (15 million). The arrival of Matic, from Roma, is also a very big blow.
Bruno Génésio has, at his disposal, a quality workforce, combining youth, talent and experience. On the Lille side, the main challenge was above all to succeed in retaining their striker Jonathan David, author of 24 goals in Ligue 1 last season. Something achieved by Lille, who like Rennes are aiming for the Champions League next season. A logical objective with a view to the progression of these two teams, having finished respectively 4th (Rennes) and 5th (Lille) last season.
The two coaches of the match, Bruno Génésio and Paulo Fonseca, advocate offensive possession football. Marseille and Lyon were not mistaken, since the two Olympics tried to attract the Portuguese to their sidelines after the departures of Igor Tudor and Laurent Blanc. Last season, it allowed the occupants of the stands at the Pierre Mauroy stadium to witness a nice spectacle on the pitch, including a record average possession rate over a season for the Lille club (61%) and the 4th best attack home. On the Rennais side, the 2022-2023 season was the most prolific year in terms of goals in the history of the Breton club with 82 goals scored. The influence of both coaches is clearly visible in their respective clubs. This suggests an open match in which both teams will try to get their foot on the ball, hopefully! – lots of goals scored.
We are only at the start of the season, this meeting is not yet a “life and death” match. However, it is a big test for both teams who are aiming for the same objective, qualification for the Champions League. After a sluggish start to the season with only one victory in four matches, the Rennais will want to prove in front of their public that they live up to the ambitions displayed. For Losc, currently 6th in Ligue 1, Paulo Fonseca will want to see his men apply his game plan to get at least a draw point in the Breton fortress.
Also read: The Ligue 1 season calendar
Mentioned above, Jonathan David is the key player of this Lille team. After a very prolific 2022-2023 financial year, the Canadian striker has scored two goals in four matches this season. The one who announced that he wanted to do better than the previous season is therefore the number one danger. On the Rennes side, watch out for Amine Gouiri. After a good 2022-2023 season with 15 goals scored, the 23-year-old winger took part in his team’s four matches at the start of the season, scoring one goal. With Arnaud Kalimuendo’s injury, a significant part of the Rennes attack will rely on him.
