Paris Saint-Germain will aim to make it eight wins out of eight in the 2021-22 Ligue 1 season when they travel to the Roazhon Park to take on Rennes on Sunday lunchtime.
Both sides claimed wins in their midweek European fixtures, with Bruno Genesio's side overcoming Vitesse in the Conference League while PSG saw off Manchester City in the Champions League.
Match preview
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Perhaps demonstrating signs of a steady turnaround, Rennes named most of their big-hitters in the first XI against Vitesse in Thursday's Conference League clash, and the move paid off as Serhou Guirassy and Kamaldeen Sulemana struck in a 2-1 win despite Loic Bade's sending off.
Les Rouge et Noir had previously gone four games without a win in all competitions before a 6-0 thrashing of Clermont on September 22, although they were held to a slightly disappointing 1-1 draw with Bordeaux in their most recent Ligue 1 game, as Mexer scored an 88th-minute equaliser following Gaetan Laborde's opener.
However, four points from their last two fixtures is certainly an improvement for Rennes compared to their three-game losing run to Angers, Reims and Marseille, but that early dip in form has seen them drop to 13th in the rankings after eight matches.
Nine goals conceded is the joint-fewest outside the top six, though, and Rennes can certainly take confidence from their home form since Genesio took the reins from Julien Stephan, winning six and losing just one of their last nine Ligue 1 encounters at Roazhon Park.
The hosts have also conceded just five goals in that hot streak and will hope to see their European success translate into better fortunes on the domestic stage, but PSG and their new hero are travelling to Brittany intent on spoiling the party.
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The Parc des Princes faithful have had to be patient for Lionel Messi's first goal in navy blue, but it was a strike worth waiting for, as the six-time Ballon d'Or winner scored the clincher in front of former manager Pep Guardiola during a joyous Tuesday evening.
After Idrissa Gueye - a man thoroughly enjoying his football at the minute - had crashed home the opener and Bernardo Silva inexplicably missed from a yard out, Messi combined well with Kylian Mbappe to rifle an effort past a hapless Ederson, with the strike unsurprisingly named the Champions League goal of the week.
PSG gleaned revenge for last year's semi-final exit after maintaining their perfect record in Ligue 1 with a straightforward 2-0 win over Montpellier HSC - a result which saw them move onto 24 points from a possible 24 as they extended their lead at the summit to nine points.
Mauricio Pochettino's pursuits of silverware in North London ended in failure year after year, but the PSG coach has his eyes firmly on the domestic and continental prize this term, and the visitors travel to Rennes unbeaten in 12 Ligue 1 away matches since defeat to Lorient in January.
Les Parisiens have won 11 and drawn one game in that hot streak - with Rennes holding them to the 1-1 stalemate back in May, a late result which further hampered their title dreams - but PSG have only lost once in their last 10 trips to Brittany to face Les Rouge et Noir.
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Team News
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Rennes continue to cope without injured pair Jeremy Doku (thigh) and new signing Lovro Majer (hip), while Jeremy Gelin is a long-term absentee following his ACL rupture.
The hosts have no fresh injury concerns to report from Thursday's win - with Bade's sending off meaning nothing for Ligue 1 - and the bulk of the side who started at the GelreDome should hold their places here.
However, Sulemana is sure to return to the left-hand side over fellow teenager Loum Tchaouna, while Birger Meling is an option for change at left-back over Adrien Truffert.
PSG defenders Sergio Ramos and Juan Bernat will most likely not be fit to return before the international break, although it is simply a case of building up fitness for the latter following his return to training.
Messi recovered rapidly from a knee problem in time to star against Man City, but with Angel Di Maria back fresh following a European ban, Pochettino may see this as an ideal opportunity to rest the ex-Barcelona man so as not to risk any further layoffs.
Abdou Diallo will hope to return at left-back after Nuno Mendes was given the nod in the Champions League, while Leandro Paredes could return in midfield if Ander Herrera is deemed in need of a rest.
Rennes possible starting lineup:
Gomis; Traore, Bade, Aguerd, Meling; Bourigeaud, Santamaria, Tait; Laborde, Guirassy, Sulemana
Paris Saint-Germain possible starting lineup:
Navas; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Kimpembe, Diallo; Verratti, Gueye, Paredes; Di Maria, Mbappe, Neymar
We say: Rennes 0-2 Paris Saint-Germain
With Rennes having had two fewer days to recover for this battle and set to name the bulk of the same XI from the win in the Netherlands, jellied legs will certainly impact their ability to halt a rampant PSG outfit.
The hosts do not concede many goals at the Roazhon Park, but Pochettino's men are sweeping aside all before them in Ligue 1 and ought to utilise their greater squad depth to record another routine win here.
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 Paris Saint-Germain win with a probability of 51.01%. A win for Rennes had a probability of 25.24% and a draw had a probability of 23.7%.
The most likely scoreline for a Paris Saint-Germain win was 0-1 with a probability of 9.76%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (9.66%) and 0-2 (8.43%). The likeliest Rennes win was 1-0 (6.47%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.18%). The actual scoreline of 2-0 was predicted with a 3.7% likelihood.
