Now boasting a seemingly uncatchable lead at the top of the Ligue 1 table, reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain continue their march towards glory at home to Rennes on Sunday afternoon.
Les Parisiens bested Nantes 2-0 last weekend in a contest overshadowed by the latest developments in the Kylian Mbappe saga, while Julien Stephan's side were knocked out of the Europa League by AC Milan on Thursday.
Match preview
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Several eyes were fixated on the PSG bench at the Stade de la Beaujoire last weekend, where soon-to-be erstwhile Parisien Mbappe took his seat in the wake of informing the club that he would finally be completing a much-anticipated exit at the end of the season.
With the 25-year-old watching on from behind Luis Enrique's technical area, PSG rode their luck against Nantes and required a fortuitous deflected strike from Lucas Hernandez to draw first blood on the hour mark, before Mbappe stripped down, won a penalty and converted from 12 yards to end a turbulent week with a customary goal.
Mbappe, who is now understood to have shaken hands on a transfer to Real Madrid, returns to the Parc des Princes cauldron for the first time since the revelations this weekend; whether he will be given a harmonious or hostile reception remains to be seen, but there are still plenty of reasons for PSG fans to smile.
Last weekend's success over Les Canaris sees Enrique's men hold a 13-point advantage over second-placed Brest at the summit of the Ligue 1 table, and Les Parisiens have won all five of their fixtures across Ligue 1, the Champions League and the Coupe de France since the start of the month.
Unbeaten in 18 straight matches, the reigning French champions have to go all the way back to November 7 for the last time that they suffered a beating - losing 2-1 to AC Milan in the Champions League - and their upcoming visitors can now empathise when it comes to Rossoneri reverses.
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Having been humbled in a 3-0 defeat at San Siro in the first leg of their Europa League playoff tie, only a repeat of the miracle of Istanbul could save Rennes' continental bacon at Roazhon Park on Thursday evening, and the fervent home crowd certainly had faith in their side's ability to pull off a monumental fightback.
The Rouges et Noir faithful's optimism was initially well-placed, as Benjamin Bourigeaud opened the second-leg scoring with just 11 minutes on the clock, but Luka Jovic replied to the Frenchman's effort before Rafael Leao also came up with a response to his second of the night.
A Bourigeaud-inspired Rennes still went down swinging, as the 30-year-old completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot, but a gritty 3-2 success over the Italians would only prove to be a consolation reward as Stephan's men packed their bags and left the Europa League for another year.
However, Les Rouges et Noir are making great strides to ensure a place on the continent for 2024-25, winning each of their last six Ligue 1 fixtures to surge up to seventh place in the standings, now just four points worse off than fourth-placed Lille and fifth-placed Monaco.
That streak has also seen Rennes triumph in three successive away battles versus Clermont, Lyon and Le Havre, but not since 2007 - a sequence which included victory at PSG - have the visitors won four straight Ligue 1 games on the road, and the champions prevailed 3-1 at Roazhon Park in October to end a two-game losing streak versus their Breton foes.
Team News
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After being withdrawn in the 70th minute of last weekend's success over Nantes, PSG captain Marquinhos did not participate in full training with the team on Thursday, while fellow centre-backs Presnel Kimpembe (Achilles) and Milan Skriniar (ankle) are also sidelined.
Layvin Kurzawa (back) and Sergio Rico (head trauma) are also taking up spots in the hosts' medical room, but Nuno Mendes is seemingly on the verge of a comeback from his long-term hamstring issue, having been able to practice with his colleagues this week.
Whether Mbappe's demotion to the bench against Nantes was transfer or fitness related is unknown - the latter scenario is plausible given PSG's Champions League exploits - and a return to the first XI surely awaits the Frenchman on Sunday.
From current PSG attackers to a former Parisien marksman, Arnaud Kalimuendo is available for Ligue 1 service again after missing last weekend's success over Clermont due to yellow card accumulation, as is fellow striker Bertug Yildirim.
Fabian Rieder (foot) and Enzo Le Fee (hamstring) are not expected back from their injuries until some point in March, and while no new concerns have arisen from the clash with Milan, Stephan will certainly need to have a closer look at his troops for any bumps and bruises.
With fewer than 72 hours to recuperate, Ludovic Blas and Azor Matusiwa will come into contention to freshen up the midfield, while Guela Doue could cede his place at right-back to the returning Alidu Seidu.
Paris Saint-Germain possible starting lineup:
Donnarumma; Hakimi, Pereira, Beraldo, Hernandez; Lee, Ugarte, Vitinha; Dembele, Kolo Muani, Mbappe
Rennes possible starting lineup:
Mandanda; Seidu, Omari, Theate, Truffert; Bourigeaud, Santamaria, Blas; Gouiri, Kalimuendo, Terrier
We say: Paris Saint-Germain 3-1 Rennes
Rennes have often possessed the recipe for success against PSG in recent times, and in spite of their agonising European exit, there ought to be no issues with confidence in the visitors' camp amid their otherwise exceptional streak of form.
However, fatigued legs coming up against a refreshed and on-song PSG unit could be a recipe for disaster instead, and we have complete faith in the champions to capitalise on their opponents' continental exertions to take another step towards title glory.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ben Knapton
