Fresh from a memorable victory at title challengers Lyon, Montpellier HSC will be aiming to continue their revival against an out-of-sorts Rennes on Saturday lunchtime.
The hosts have won their last three in a row across all competitions, whereas Rennes are hoping to avoid a fifth game without victory in the top flight.
Match preview
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It may be a case of too little too late for Montpellier, but their supporters will no doubt be looking ahead to the rest of the campaign with a sense of renewed optimism following two wins and a draw from their last three outings in Ligue 1.
Indeed, Michel der Zakarian's men followed up wins over Dijon and Strasbourg (in the league and Coupe de France respectively) with a historic 2-1 win on Lyon's turf, as Teji Savanier and Elye Wahi - the latter of whom is now being linked with Arsenal - fired Montpellier to a magnificent triumph.
La Paillade had tried and failed to win nine times in Ligue 1 before February rolled around, but with Andy Delort back in the team, Montpellier have reignited a late charge for a European place, although they remain three points adrift of fifth-placed Rennes having played a game more.
However, Delort - who already boasts nine goals and seven assists in the 2020-21 Ligue 1 campaign - had to be forced off at half time against Lyon as his hamstring problem flared up again. It remains to be seen how long the talismanic striker will be sidelined for, but another spell in the treatment room would undoubtedly halt Montpellier's momentum.
Nevertheless, Der Zakarian's men will move level on points with Rennes - who boast a superior goal difference - if they can win in the absence of Delort, but they have not kept a clean sheet at home all season and Rennes will not want to be usurped without a fight.
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Rennes' domestic form understandably dropped off when they had to take Champions League fixtures into account as well, but their recent winless run is certainly all the more alarming for Julien Stephan.
Les Rouge et Noir have played eight games since the turn of the year, and only one has ended in victory - a 2-1 triumph over Brest on January 17 - and Stephan's side have failed to win any of their last five across all competitions.
A dampening Coupe de France exit to Angers was followed up by yet another dismal defeat to a resurgent Saint-Etienne team, who stormed to a 2-0 win last weekend thanks to goals from Denis Bouanga and Arnaud Nordin, and Rennes' European ambitions are now under serious threat.
A title charge is nigh on impossible for the visitors now, with an 11-point chasm separating them from fourth-placed Monaco - who have played a game more - while sixth-placed Lens and seventh-placed Marseille are only one point behind Rennes and ready to pounce on any further slip-ups.
However, Stephan's men are unbeaten in their last nine meetings with Montpellier and claimed a 2-1 win over their opponents earlier in the season, while a victory here would mark their fourth in a row over La Paillade.
Montpellier HSC Ligue 1 form: LLLDWW
Montpellier HSC form (all competitions): LLDWWW
Rennes Ligue 1 form: DWLDDL
Rennes form (all competitions): WLDDLL
Team News
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The extent of Delort's injury is unclear at the time of writing, but the 29-year-old is not expected to turn out this weekend, so Wahi may be given a chance from the first whistle.
The hosts also lost Mihailo Ristic to an adductor injury in the Lyon victory, and while his problem is not serious, Ambroise Oyongo has made a timely return to training and could deputise on the left.
Aside from replacing the injured duo, Der Zakarian has no reason to fix what is not broken after their shock win at the Groupama Stadium.
Clement Grenier was enjoying an unforeseen revival in the Rennes XI before sustaining a muscular problem, but the midfielder has recovered and could be in line for a return this weekend.
Romain Del Castillo also missed out against Saint-Etienne due to concussion but may also be cleared to feature in this one, while Steven Nzonzi is expected to return to the first XI after being benched last Sunday.
Teenage protege Eduardo Camavinga has come under some criticism for his performances as of late, but there is little chance of the Real Madrid-linked midfielder being dropped for this one.
Montpellier HSC possible starting lineup:
Omlin; Sambia, Hilton, Congre, Oyongo; Ferri; Mavididi, Savanier, Mollet, Laborde; Wahi
Rennes possible starting lineup:
Gomis; Traore, Da Silva, Aguerd, Maouassa; Doku, Nzonzi, Camavinga, Bourigeaud; Grenier; Guirassy
We say: Montpellier HSC 1-1 Rennes
The last thing that Der Zakarian needed amid his side's revival was another injury to star man Delort, and 18-year-old Wahi has some big boots to fill during the Algerian's absence. Rennes will be aware of Montpellier's defensive frailties at home but are hardly in good form themselves, although we still expect the visitors to do enough for a point at the Stade de la Mosson.
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 40.56%. A win for Montpellier HSC had a probability of 33.77% and a draw had a probability of 25.7%.
The most likely scoreline for a Rennes win was 0-1 with a probability of 9.49%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.71%) and 0-2 (6.79%). The likeliest Montpellier HSC win was 1-0 (8.51%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.17%). The actual scoreline of 2-1 was predicted with a 7.8% likelihood.
