Still scratching their heads as to how they lost in Europe in midweek, Paris Saint-Germain have parity to restore in Saturday's Ligue 1 showdown with Rennes at Roazhon Park.
Les Parisiens were somehow condemned to a 1-0 Champions League last-16 first-leg loss to Liverpool on Wednesday, while Rennes' last outing ended in a 4-0 thrashing of Montpellier HSC.
Match preview
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Death, taxes, and PSG managing to find new ways to fail in the Champions League. Luis Enrique's free-flowing offensive unit subjected Liverpool to a wave of constant attacks at the Parc des Princes in midweek, only for a combination of marginal refereeing calls and an inspired Alisson Becker to keep them at bay.
After PSG huffed and puffed without success in the French capital, Harvey Elliott - sent on to replace a stunted Mohamed Salah - taught the French champions a lesson in ruthlessness with a last-gasp winner, one that puts Liverpool at a huge advantage heading to Anfield next week.
Once the post-mortem into Wednesday's chastening loss concludes, PSG have a 13-point lead to try to maintain at the summit of the Ligue 1 standings, having surged clear of closest challengers Marseille with their customary dominance of the domestic scene.
Enrique's troops thumped Lille 4-1 on March 1 for their fifth successive victory in the French top flight, and the reigning Ligue 1 champions still have their domestic unbeaten record intact for 2024-25, earning 19 wins and five draws from 24 league battles thus far.
Irrepressible away from home since a goalless draw away to Auxerre in early December, PSG have won each of their last 12 competitive engagements on the road and have gone triple that number unbeaten in Ligue 1 away matches, astonishingly going 36 without defeat since a 3-1 loss to Monaco in February 2023.
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Monaco were coincidentally also the last team to defeat Rennes on the road, although that loss came as recently as January as opposed to 25 months ago for Les Rouges et Noir, who have since boosted their prospects of climbing back into the top half of the standings.
Acclimatising to the methods of recently-appointed head coach and one-time Newcastle United player Habib Beye, Saturday's hosts are basking in the new manager bounce, having taken 12 points from an available 15 since the 47-year-old took the reins.
Furthermore, all four of those victories have seen Rennes keep a clean sheet, as Les Rouges et Noir followed shutout successes over Strasbourg, Saint-Etienne and Reims with a 4-0 trouncing of Montpellier, even if a 2-0 loss to Lille was sandwiched in between the Saint-Etienne and Reims victories.
Seko Fofana, Djaoui Cisse, Lorenz Assignon and Arnaud Kalimuendo all contributed to the thrashing of La Paillade, although the 11th-placed hosts will not be able to crack the top 10 even if they can subject the champions to a shock loss on Saturday.
PSG should not be counting any chickens just yet, though, as they have interestingly been beaten in three of their last five Ligue 1 away games against Les Rouges et Noir, although Enrique's men ran out convincing 3-1 winners at the Parc des Princes in late September.
Team News
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PSG's egos may have been bruised by the events of Wednesday evening, but Les Parisiens ended the night without any physical blemishes, meaning that Enrique has a fully-fit squad to select from again.
Changes are surely inevitable before next week's all-or-nothing trip to Anfield, and one man who should be the beneficiary of some rotation is Warren Zaire-Emery, seeking his first start since recovering from an ankle sprain.
Desire Doue, Goncalo Ramos, Lucas Beraldo and Lee Kang-in are candidates to come into the visitors' lineup too, as is the seldom-seen Lucas Hernandez.
In contrast, Rennes are still coping without cruciate ligament victims Alidu Seidu and Dogan Alemdar, while Andres Gomez (ankle) is also touch-and-go for the visit of the champions.
Beye will also be forced into an unwanted change in midfield, as 21-year-old Cisse - one of the scorers in the Montpellier mauling - must serve a ban for an accumulation of bookings.
Either Azor Matusiwa or Ismael Kone should step in for Cisse in the engine room, which should also house 20-year-old Wales international Jordan James after he registered his first assist in the red and black kit last weekend.
Rennes possible starting lineup:
Samba; Rouault, Brassier, Jacquet; Assignon, Fofana, James, Matusiwa, Truffert; Blas, Kalimuendo
Paris Saint-Germain possible starting lineup:
Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Beraldo, Hernandez; Doue, Zaire-Emery, Neves; Dembele, Ramos, Barcola
We say: Rennes 0-2 Paris Saint-Germain
Rennes' applaudable home record against the champions and mean defensive streak since Beye took over means that Saturday's tie should not be a foregone conclusion, but PSG still have our backing to right their midweek wrongs.
Enrique's talented attackers will no doubt break through the Rennes defence eventually, and once they do, gaps should open up for the holders to increase their advantage en route to a routine win.
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Ben Knapton
