Brest take on Rennes in the second game of the new Ligue 1 season on Sunday, with the hosts hoping to build on a strong draw with Lyon during the opening weekend.
The visitors were less satisfied with a draw of their own, as they failed to impress during a 1-1 stalemate at home to Lens, and will now be hoping to kickstart their season at the second attempt.
Match preview
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Brest have rarely started the season strongly - indeed, the draw with Lyon saw their winless streak in Ligue 1 openers stretch to six games - so they can be particularly satisfied with having claimed a point in a game that they were expected to lose.
Les Pirates survived relegation by a solitary point and position on a dramatic final day last season and decided a change of manager was the way forward.
Former Montpellier manager Michel Der Zakarian was the chosen man, the 58-year-old bringing with him a wealth of league experience after spells at Nantes, Clermont and Reims, and joins on the back of a string of impressive seasons with La Paillade.
Despite a poor pre-season, the initial signs are good as Brest took an unlikely lead against Lyon through an Irvin Cardona strike and, whilst Islam Slimani equalised just after the hour mark, Der Zakarian's men showed some much-needed solidity - a rarity in recent times - to hold on for the draw and even nearly stole all three points late on with an effort from Steve Mounie.
Rennes, on the other hand, went into their opening game hopeful of a win against Lens, despite finishing just one point above the visitors last season.
Lens were newly-promoted in 2020 but produced an impressive campaign and were only just pipped to a Europa Conference League qualification place on the last day of the season by their opening-day opponents.
Rennes fans were excited to see new signing Kamaldeen Sulemana in action and the Ghanaian international needed only 14 minutes to make his mark, as he gave the Brittany club the lead after a swift counter.
The lead only lasted five minutes, however, and from there a lack of end product for both sides saw the game finish 1-1 - not the start Les Rennais had hoped for but they did, at least, extend their unbeaten streak on the opening day to three matches.
The team are not always the best travellers, but are unbeaten in their last eight Ligue 1 matches against Brest, who are looking for a first win in league fixtures between the two clubs since April 2011.
Rennes have been one of the few big spenders in Ligue 1 - with most clubs struggling due to the financial impact of COVID-19 and the issues surrounding France's television deals - and they are in a position to push for a top-three finish if they begin to produce the goods. A win this weekend could get the wheels in motion.
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Team News
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Brest have two long-term absentees in Paul Lasne and Sebastien Cibois, who are recovering from serious cruciate ligament and Achilles' tendon injuries respectively, as well as defenders Rafiki Said and Christophe Herelle out with more minor issues.
There are unlikely to be many changes to the starting XI after a solid opening performance, so expect to see Mounie leading the line again in a 4-2-3-1 and new signing Jere Uronen continuing at left-back.
Rennes also have a long-term cruciate ligament injury, with centre-back Jeremy Gelin having suffered a rupture in pre-season, and fellow defender Damien Da Silva suspended.
Pacy winger Jeremy Doku may now be ready for a return to the side - having been eased into the domestic season after his involvement for Belgium at Euro 2020 - and will likely take up duties on the right wing in a 4-3-3, allowing Sulemana to continue on the left after his impressive debut.
Rotation may come into play unusually early in the season for Rennes, as they have the Europa Conference League to think about, with a two-legged tie against Rosenborg to navigate before the end of August.
Brest possible starting lineup:
Bizot; Pierre-Gabriel, Brassier, Chardonnet, Uronen; Faivre, Mbock, Belkebla, Cardona, Honorat; Mounie
Rennes possible starting lineup:
Gomis; Traore, Bade, Aguerd, Meling; Camavinga, Tait, Bourigeaud; Doku, Terrier, Sulemana
We say: Brest 1-2 Rennes
Brest will have some self-belief after the draw with Lyon, but the youthful pace and trickery of Doku and Sulemana on the wings may just see them come undone and should be enough to earn Rennes their first win of the season.
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 41.85%. A win for Brest had a probability of 31.59% and a draw had a probability of 26.6%.
The most likely scoreline for a Rennes win was 0-1 with a probability of 10.86%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.71%) and 0-2 (7.49%). The likeliest Brest win was 1-0 (9.16%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.62%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 12.6% likelihood.
