Two sides operating at opposite ends of the Ligue 1 table come together at the Stade Saint-Symphorien on Saturday evening when relegation-battling Metz take on European football-hunting Rennes.
The hosts are only in the relegation playoff spot on goal difference coming into this one, while the visitors are four points behind sixth-placed RC Lens.
Match preview
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After finishing in 19th in 2021-22, Metz's relegation to Ligue 2 was confirmed, but Laszlo Boloni was able to guide his team back to the French top division at the first time of asking with a second-placed finish last season.
The hosts now face the potential of falling straight back down as they currently occupy 18th place, but with three games remaining, they still have the chance to secure their place in the top flight.
The Maroons have only managed eight victories across the entirety of the 31 league games thus far, but a recent improvement in form has seen them win four of those in their last eight outings.
Three of those victories crucially came against relegation rivals Clermont Foot, Nantes and Le Havre, helping them to stay in the fight for survival.
A lot of credit must go to Georges Mikautadze, who helped secure promotion for the club last season before moving to Ajax, with the Georgian returning to the club on loan following a difficult first half of the campaign in the Netherlands.
Mikautadze has scored 11 times in his 17 appearances for Metz this term, providing a further three assists, and has almost single-handedly kept his team in the battle for safety.
Metz will be looking to the Georgian once again in this one as they are set to face up against a Rennes side who are fighting for their place in the top six, attempting to secure a spot in European football for next year.
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Rennes had been going through a tough run of four consecutive losses across all competitions through March and April before finally beating Nantes 3-0, but they fell to defeat once again last weekend as Brest won 5-4 in one of the most entertaining games of the season.
The Rennais had gone 2-0 up within nine minutes, before falling 4-2 behind just after the hour mark. Martin Terrier then dragged his side level with a 79th-minute strike, but Brest got the upper hand once again as Lilian Brassier scored a 96th-minute winner.
That defeat, combined with three of the four teams they are battling against for sixth place securing victories, has made finishing within the European places even more difficult with just three games remaining.
Rennes are still in with a chance though as current sixth-placed Lens are just four points above them going into the final matches of the campaign, but the Rennais will need to get off to the perfect start to their run-in with victory against Metz, something they have managed to do in all of their last six meetings.
Team News
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Boloni is set to be without four players for this match against Rennes with the quartet all missing out through injuries.
Benjamin Tetteh, Christophe Herelle, Joel Asoro and Joseph N'Duquidi are all out and not expected to make their returns until early May.
The visitors, on the other hand, are without just one of their players as Mahamadou Nagida misses out with an injury issue.
Arnaud Kalimuendo has scored three times in Brest's last two outings and Julien Stephan will be looking to his striker once again in this one.
Metz possible starting lineup:
Oukidja; Colin, Traore, Sane, Udol; Jacques, N'Doram, Atta; Van Den Kerkhof, Mikautadze, Diallo
Rennes possible starting lineup:
Mandanda; Doue, Omari, Wooh, Belocian; Blas, Santamaria, Matusiwa, Doue; Terrier, Kalimuendo
We say: Metz 1-3 Rennes
Rennes have won all of the last six meetings between these two teams, scoring at least three in all of the past four, and we expect that to continue with a 3-1 victory in this one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ellis Stevens
