Stade Rennais FC have been in prolific form in front of their own fans at Roazhon Park this season. The Bretons are looking to stay on course for Champions League qualification when they host AS Saint-Etienne on Saturday.
Stade Rennais - AS Saint-Etienne Saturday at 21:00 CET (1900 GMT)
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Nobody has scored as many goals at home this season as Bruno Genesio’s Rennes, who crushed Brittany rivals FC Lorient 5-0 in front of their own fans last weekend with Benjamin Bourigeaud, Martin Terrier, Hamari Traoré, Flavien Tait and Gaëtan Laborde all on target. Les Rouge et Noir have scored an impressive 46 goals in 17 matches at Roazhon Park, four more than champions Paris Saint-Germain have managed at home and seven more than Olympique Lyonnais, who have played one more match on home turf. No other team had scored more than 32 goals at home coming into the weekend.
Since the turn of the year, Rennes fans have regularly been treated to goal fests, with Genesio’s side beating Girondins de Bordeaux 6-0, defeating ESTAC Troyes 4-1 and thumping FC Metz 6-1 at home. There was also a 3-2 home defeat at the hands of AS Monaco.
That last result was significant in the fight for Champions League places, as Rennes look to hold onto their podium place and return to Europe’s elite club competition. Back-to-back defeats against Monaco and then away at RC Strasbourg Alsace had jeopardised their prospects prior to last week’s destruction of Lorient, and Rennes ended last weekend sitting in third place ahead of the principality side only on goal difference. OGC Nice and Strasbourg are also still right in contention.
Watch: Rennes hammer Lorient in derby
Only the top three teams in the final Ligue 1 Uber Eats table qualify for the Champions League, although third place will enter in the third qualifying round. Fourth is set to go into the Europa League and fifth into the Europa Conference League, although sixth could also offer European football depending on who wins the Coupe de France.
While Rennes chase Europe, 10-time champions Saint-Etienne are in a battle for their top-flight survival. Les Verts occupy the relegation play-off place, sitting four points clear of the automatic relegation spots but two points shy of Clermont Foot 63 in the safety of 17th.
Pascal Dupraz’s team looked good bets to pull clear of trouble when they beat fellow strugglers FC Metz 1-0 in early March and sat in 17th with 11 matches left. Draws with LOSC Lille and Troyes followed, but they have collected just four points from five games since and have been conceding goals at an alarming rate. After losing 4-2 at home to Olympique de Marseille and 6-2 in Lorient, they were beaten 4-1 by Monaco at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard last time out.
Watch: Saint-Etienne beaten at home by Monaco
Seventeen goals conceded in five matches does not augur well before a trip to face a prolific Rennes side spearheaded by the 21-goal Martin Terrier. Rennes won 5-0 in Saint-Etienne when the sides last met in December, a defeat that proved fatal for Sainté manager Claude Puel.
Aïmen Moueffek, Enzo Crivelli and Falaye Sacko are all missing due to injury for a Saint-Etienne side looking to extend their 18-year unbroken stay in Ligue 1. Meanwhile, Rennes welcome back Belgium winger Jérémy Doku, the 19-year-old whose appearances this season have been limited by persistent injuries. Goalkeeper Alfred Gomis is still not ready to return while Nayef Aguerd is suspended meaning Baptiste Santamaria will drop back into central defence.
What they’re saying
Bruno Genesio (Rennes coach): “Saint-Etienne are fighting for survival. They are going through a difficult time. This game is likely to be similar to the Lorient match. There we managed to get two goals in 20 minutes and that lifted our confidence and made things easier for us. We don’t know how this game will go but we hope to go out and start strongly as we almost always do at Roazhon Park.”
Pascal Dupraz (Saint-Etienne coach): “We have no margin for error. Compared to the other teams fighting to avoid relegation, only Clermont have taken more points than us over the last three games. We have a tough run of fixtures but we are eager to prove that we can take points against teams competing for Europe. My only motivation is to save Saint-Etienne.”
Probable teams
Rennes: To follow
Saint-Etienne: To follow
