High-flying Rennes host Lorient in a Round of 64 Coupe de France Breton derby blockbuster on Saturday evening.
Lorient have lost each of their last six Ligue 1 Uber Eats matches and the Cup competition will potentially provide some welcome relief to Christophe Pelissier and his players. Lorient will be without veterans Fabien Lemoine and Jérémy Morel until 2022. Number two goalkeeper Matthieu Dreyer will get a chance with Paul Nardi rested, while defender Vincent Le Goff is out with a neck injury.
Midfielder Stéphane Diarra, who came up through Rennes’ youth system, told Lorient’s website: “We need to win for the team, the club and also for the fans. It would allow us to start thinking positively again. We need to stay united and work as a unit. We are all in the same boat. Last season we had the same squad and we got results. We’re on a bad run, that’s true. We need to work together and it’s only by working hard that we’ll get through this.”
Genesio: "Lorient will come here to win"
Rennes, third in the Ligue 1 table, were 2-0 winners at Lorient in the league at the end of November. Bruno Genesio’s side have lost their last two home league matches, to Lille and Nice, and the visit of Les Merlus provides an opportunity to get back to winning ways at Roazhon Park.
Genesio said: “Lorient will come here to win. They won’t come here just to defend and play for a draw. It should mean a more open match. Lorient have had a lot of injured players and they’re on a bad run, but this is a different competition. It’s a chance for them to get out of this situation. We need to take them seriously.”
Probable Teams:
Rennes: Salin; Traoré, Omari, Badé, Truffert ; Tait, Santamaria, Majer ; Bourigeaud, Guirassy, Terrier
Lorient: Dreyer ; Hergault, Mendes, Jenz, Loric ; Diarra, Abergel, Le Bris, Boisgard ; Laurienté, Grbic
Elsewhere on Saturday, Troyes host Nancy (L2), and Lille take on Auxerre (L2). Lille coach Jocelyn Gourvennec is set to name a strong side featuring Ligue 1 top scorer Jonathan David, though Sven Botman will be rested and Xeka is suspended. World Cup winner Adil Rami is poised to captain Troyes as fringe players such as Patrick Roberts are likely to be given a chance by Laurent Batlles.
