Fifth meets sixth in Ligue 1 this weekend as European hopefuls Rennes and Marseille lock horns at the Orange Velodrome on Saturday evening.
Both sides are aiming to bounce back from defeats last time out, with Marseille being put to the sword by Monaco, while Rennes lost narrowly to Lille.
Match preview
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Andre Villas-Boas's problems at Marseille just keep going from bad to worse, as the Portuguese manager witnessed his side lose their fourth game in succession at Monaco last Saturday.
Les Olympiens took an early lead through Nemanja Radonjic and looked capable of pulling off an unlikely win, but the free-scoring Monaco soon turned the game on its head as Guillermo Maripan, Aurelien Tchouameni and Stevan Jovetic all netted in the second half to condemn Marseille to yet another defeat.
This weekend's hosts have now come up short against Nimes, Lens and Monaco in the past fortnight, and with only one win from their last eight in the top flight, the title dream is slowly slipping away.
Villas-Boas's side do have a game in hand over the five teams above them in the table, but even an improbable win this weekend would not propel them any higher up the rankings, as Rennes are four points clear of their opponents ahead of Saturday's encounter.
Dario Benedetto and Valere Germain have flattered to deceive up top this season, but Marseille supporters will hope that the recent acquisition of Arkadiusz Milik can help their team rediscover a much-needed goalscoring touch as the battle for a top-five finish gathers pace.
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Rennes have demonstrated a marked improvement since their early exit from the Champions League, but attempting to get one over a title-chasing Lille side was a bridge too far for Julien Stephan's crop.
Jonathan David's 16th-minute goal was all that separated the two French powerhouses on the night as Rennes lost for the first time in 2021, but their European destiny is still very much in their own hands at the midway stage.
Marseille's dip in form means that Rennes still have a four-point cushion over the European outsiders, but Bordeaux have risen to seventh after their terrific recent run and will hope to upset the apple cart in the coming weeks.
Stephan's men have only managed to emerge victorious in one of their last four top-flight matches, but they have taken 10 points from the last 12 on offer away from home - conceding just once in that time - although they have not kept a league clean sheet against Marseille since March 2014.
Rennes took the spoils in a 2-1 win when the sides met earlier in the season, and Marseille have come out on top just once in their last five home matches against Les Rouges et Noir.
Marseille Ligue 1 form: LWDLLL
Marseille form (all competitions): WDLLLL
Rennes Ligue 1 form: WWDDWL
Team News
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Milik made his debut for Marseille off the bench in last weekend's defeat to Monaco, and the Poland international is in line for his first start this time around.
Valentin Rongier missed out entirely against Les Monegasques - even though Villas-Boas previously affirmed that the midfielder would be involved - but he should return here, and the Marseille boss also hopes to have Jordan Amavi back for this tie.
Rongier is set to make a timely return with Boubacar Kamara still sidelined with a muscular problem, while Morgan Sanson recently completed a move to Aston Villa.
Rennes will welcome Benjamin Bourigeaud back from suspension for this tie, and the Frenchman could immediately return to the left-hand side in place of Adrien Truffert.
Saturday could be the day that Alfred Gomis makes his long-awaited return in goal for the visitors, as Romain Salin did not cover himself in glory for David's winner last weekend.
Damien Da Silva should return to the backline after recovering from injury, but strikers Serhou Guirassy and Mbaye Niang remain in the medical room.
Marseille possible starting lineup:
Mandanda; Lirola, Gonzalez, Caleta-Car, Amavi; Rongier, Gueye; Thauvin, Cuisance, Radonjic; Milik
Rennes possible starting lineup:
Gomis; Traore, Aguerd, Da Silva, Maouassa; Doku, Nzonzi, Camavinga, Bourigeaud; Grenier; Terrier
We say: Marseille 1-2 Rennes
Milik should add another attacking dimension to a Marseille side who are in desperate need of it, but Villas-Boas has numerous problems to address at the other end of the pitch as well. Rennes were not blown away by Lille by any stretch, and while a trip to Marseille is never a straightforward game no matter how well Les Olympiens are playing, Stephan's men should do enough to eke out a crucial win.
Top betting 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 38.62%. A win for Marseille had a probability of 34.63% and a draw had a probability of 26.8%.
The most likely scoreline for a Rennes win was 0-1 with a probability of 10.38%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.33%) and 0-2 (6.8%). The likeliest Marseille win was 1-0 (9.71%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.72%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with a 9.7% likelihood.
