With their fortunes in Ligue 1 going from bad to worse, relegation-threatened Bordeaux welcome European outsiders Rennes to the Matmut Atlantique for Sunday lunchtime's battle.
The hosts fell to a crushing 4-1 defeat at Lorient last time out, while Rennes sealed Dijon's fate with a 5-1 thrashing of the relegated Hiboux in gameweek 34.
Match preview
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Jean-Louis Gasset is running out of time to save Bordeaux from an inconceivable demotion to the second tier, and the 67-year-old's stint in the hotseat would surely come to a bitter end if Les Girondins find themselves in Ligue 2 next year.
A trip to relegation rivals Lorient provided Gasset's men with an ideal opportunity to steer clear of the drop zone, but the Merlus' main man Terem Moffi stole the show with a stunning hat-trick after Yoane Wissa had opened the scoring, and Issouf Sissokho's late consolation did little to lift the spirits of the miserable Girondins.
Having lost 11 of their last 13 and each of their last five, Bordeaux occupy 16th spot in the table with only four games left to play, and five points separate Gasset's men from the dreaded trapdoor after a woeful start to 2021.
While a win over a resurgent Rennes seems incredibly unlikely, Gasset's side will be taking on 18th-placed Nantes on May 8, and the result of that showdown could yet go a long way in determining which side survives and which side succumbs to relegation.
Not since January 24 have Bordeaux managed to win a league game on home soil - losing five and drawing one at the Matmut Atlantique since - and another defeat here would see them equal an wanted club record of five straight home losses, which was first set all the way back in 1970.
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In contrast, Rennes came out on the correct end of the scoreline during a six-goal thriller last time out, as Bruno Genesio's well-oiled machine confirmed Dijon's relegation to the second tier with a routine 5-1 demolition of the hapless Hiboux.
Martin Terrier bagged a brace before Flavien Tait, Gerzino Nyamsi and Clement Grenier completed the rout, with the Genesio revolution still in full swing as Les Rouge et Noir push for the fifth and final European spot.
Having taken 16 points from the last 18 on offer in the top flight, Rennes find themselves seventh in the table and only two points adrift of a continental berth, but that could all change by the time they take to the pitch as sixth-placed Marseille and fifth-placed Lens are both in action before Sunday.
Despite their spate of unsuccessful results during the final days of Julien Stephan's tenure, no team outside of the top four has conceded fewer than Rennes' 36 this term, and at the correct end of the pitch, Genesio's side have scored at least twice in their last three away outings.
Bordeaux did manage to beat Rennes on their own turf back in November thanks to a Hatem Ben Arfa winner, but they have failed to win their last three at home against Les Rouge et Noir as they search for their first league double over them since the 2012-13 season.
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Team News
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Bordeaux midfielder Tom Lacoux returns from a suspension to bolster Gasset's options, but the hosting manager has lost another lynchpin in Jean Michael Seri to a ban for an accumulation of bookings.
Hatem Ben Arfa can therefore feel confident about his chances of earning a recall to the fold, with 19-year-old Sissokho's late goal against Lorient surely not enough to see him handed a start.
Samuel Kalu is fit again and will challenge Mehdi Zerkane for a spot on the right, but Otavio is still struggling with an Achilles problem and may not return just yet.
Meanwhile, Rennes will be boosted by a trio of returns from suspension as Damien Da Silva, Nayef Aguerd and Serhou Guirassy took their places on the naughty step for the win over Dijon.
Aguerd should displace makeshift centre-back Brandon Soppy this weekend, but Da Silva and Guirassy will struggle to earn recalls over Nyamsi and Terrier following their goals last time out.
Jonas Martin is the visitors' only absentee with a serious ankle issue, but he would never have been likely to force his way into this in-form Rennes side if fully fit.
Bordeaux possible starting lineup:
Costil; Sabaly, Baysse, Mexer, Benito; Adli, Basic; Oudin, Ben Arfa, Kalu; Hwang
Rennes possible starting lineup:
Gomis; Traore, Aguerd, Nyamsi, Truffert; Nzonzi, Camavinga, Tait; Doku, Terrier, Bourigeaud
We say: Bordeaux 0-2 Rennes
For a team that was so defensively sound during the earliest stages of the season, a Laurent Koscielny-less Bordeaux are lacking inspiration in all areas of the pitch right now.
In contrast, Genesio's Rennes are only looking up and are showing no signs of slowing down in their pursuit of Europe, so we can only back a straightforward win for Les Rouge et Noir.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Rennes win with a probability of 53.55%. A draw had a probability of 25% and a win for Bordeaux had a probability of 21.45%.
The most likely scoreline for a Rennes win was 0-1 with a probability of 12.93%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-2 (10.37%) and 1-2 (9.48%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (11.82%), while for a Bordeaux win it was 1-0 (7.37%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with a 7.4% likelihood.
