Olympique Lyonnais will look for a bounce-back win in league play when they welcome Stade Rennais to Groupama Stadium on Friday night.
After winning three straight Ligue 1 matches to begin climbing out of the relegation zone, OL stumbled with a 3-1 loss to Le Havre on Jan. 14, ending what had been a positive run of play to end 2023.
Now, Les Gones will have to approach this contest against Rennes with a positive outlook. After the loss to Le Havre, OL bounced back with a 2-1 victory over Bergerac Périgord FC last week in the Coupe de France Round of 32, putting the squad back in the win column.
In these two sides’ previous meeting in Ligue 1, Lyon secured a 1-0 victory against ten-man Rennes on Nov. 12. Since that loss, Rennes have been transformed into a different team, with Julien Stéphan returning for a second stint as the manager. Stéphan and his squad have opened 2024 with three straight wins and are riding a five-match unbeaten streak across all competitions.
Rennes' attack has impressively scored two or more goals in three of their last four matches across all competitions and will have confidence heading into the matchup against OL.
The three points on offer are crucial for both sides. Lyon are currently in 16th place and striving to avoid relegation while Rennes want to leverage their current form to climb towards the European places.
