FC Nantes - Stade Rennais FC

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- kick-off: 19:00 CEST

Nantes became the third French team this season to secure European qualification next term - behind champions Paris Saint-Germain and their nearest challengers Olympique de Marseille - after beating OGC Nice to lift the Coupe de France on Saturday.

Rennes have completed the Ligue 1 Uber Eats podium alongside PSG and OM for much of the current campaign and will reclaim third place from AS Monaco with victory, the principality club currently three points better off having played a game more but with a vastly inferior goal-difference.

Rennes riding high

Rennes have had eight days more rest than Nantes since beating AS Saint-Étienne 2-0 in their last league outing, and they boast 11 more points than their near neighbours this season, but coach Bruno Génésio is taking nothing for granted.

Watch: Highlights of Rennes' 2-0 win over Saint-Étienne

"You have to take it one game at a time," he said. "They played a great final, moulded the game to their ends. Even if it was a penalty, the fact is they won the game and showed some great things in doing so. They deserved it over the 90 minutes.

"I fear them. We must highlight Antoine Kombouaré's work and congratulate him. This time last year they were on the precipice and this year they've won the Cup and are making a good impression in the league. They're performing very well at home with a good defensive structure and players who are capable of causing problems in attack, especially in transition. It'll be a difficult match, and a derby on top of that."

Defensive reshuffle

Rennes remain without suspended centre-back Nayef Aguerd, so midfielder-by-trade Baptiste Santamaria will fill in beside Warmed Omari at centre-back once again. Goalkeeper Alfred Gomis and winger Kamaldeen Sulemana are on the way back from a broken finger and back injury respectively, but neither are expected to start.

Rennes won August's reverse fixture 1-0 thanks to the first of 21 goals Martin Terrier has scored this season, and they haven't lost the Derby Breton since September 2019 when Abdoulaye Touré - now in Turkey on loan from Genoa - got the only goal of a 1-0 win at the Stade de la Beaujoire.

Terrier has scored the same number of goals as Nantes' two top scorers - Randal Kolo Muani (12) and Ludovic Blas (9) - have put together. Les Canaris are well clear of relegation trouble in ninth, but Kombouaré admits this season hasn't always been easy.

Watch: Highlights of Nantes' recent 2-2 draw at Lens

"As my little brother Christian Karembeu told me, now we've paid our debt with the club," he said after the Coupe de France win, in which a Blas spot-kick separated the sides. "The club doesn't need to ask anything more of us, but the fans have suffered a lot.

'Wear colours with pride'

"I say thank you to the fans. It's reward for their passionate support. They did like me: compartmentalise. We might have problems away from the pitch but out there, we simply want to wear the colours with pride."

Charles Traoré is out with a ruptured cruciate ligament but Nantes have an otherwise clean bill of health. Fellow full-back Dennis Appiah is one booking away from suspension, but that shouldn't affect his chances of starting here.

Possible teams

Nantes: Lafont; Appiah, Girotto, Pallois; Coco, Moutoussamy, Cyprien, Merlin; Blas; Kolo Muani, Simon

Rennes: Alemdar; Traoré, Omari, Santamaria, Truffert; Majer, Martin, Tait; Bourigaud, Laborde, Terrier