Aiming to continue their unbeaten start to the new top-tier term, Strasbourg will welcome Rennes to Stade de la Meinau for a Ligue 1 clash on Sunday afternoon.
Le Racing shared the spoils with Montpellier HSC last time out, whilst Les Rouge et Noirs managed a three-goal success over French heavyweights Lyon.
Match preview
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After a 13th-placed finish in the 2023-24 Ligue 1 season - collecting 39 points from 34 top-flight matches and placing 10 points ahead of the relegation playoffs - Strasbourg will be looking to fight near the top half of the division this time around, and their journey towards that goal started last weekend.
Following a goalless first half, the contest burst into life during the second period at Stade de la Mosson-Mondial 98 on August 18, when Habib Diarra netted the opening goal of the fixture before Montpellier's Teji Savanier held his nerve from 12 yards, forcing a share of the points.
After moving from Austrian champions Sturm Graz last summer, Emanuel Emegha has now established himself as the leading marksman at the focal point of the Strasbourg attack, with the 21-year-old Dutchman netting eight Ligue 1 goals during his debut 2023-24 campaign.
Failing to make the Championship playoffs and as a result the Premier League with ambitious Hull City last term, Liam Rosenior is now the man tasked with taking Le Racing towards the upper echelons of French football, with the former Fulham player managing outside of England for the first time in his coaching career.
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Following back-to-back fourth-placed finishes in 2022 and 2023, Rennes suffered a major fall from grace during the 2023-24 campaign, ending up in 10th place at the conclusion of the 34-game Ligue 1 schedule, five points behind seventh-placed Lens who secured Conference League football.
Not wanting to dwell on the failure of last campaign too much, Les Rouge et Noirs were one of the biggest winners on the opening weekend of the fresh domestic season, recording a three-goal victory over Lyon to satisfy the 25,000 home supporters in attendance at Roazhon Park last Sunday.
Rennes raced into a two-goal lead during the first 21 minutes courtesy of strikes from Benjamin Bourigeaud and Amine Gouiri, before 20-year-old Dane Henrik Meister arrived off the bench on his debut for the club to put the destination of the three points beyond reasonable doubt.
Les Rouge et Noirs will be striving to avoid a repeat of last campaign's difficult trip to Stade de la Meinau on the final day of March, when second-half efforts from Marvin Senaya and Jeremy Sebas secured a much-needed win for Strasbourg in their pursuit of Ligue 1 safety.
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Team News
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Strasbourg remain without the services of Dion Sahi, who suffered an injury over the summer, meaning that he is yet to feature in a competitive fixture this season.
Le Racing will also be unable to call upon the talents of Milos Lukovic, with the 18-year-old Serbian scheduled to be back in action next month following illness.
Suffering with physical discomfort, Felix Lemarechal is unlikely to make his Strasbourg debut this weekend despite featuring for former club Monaco in pre-season.
Rennes are without one of their shining lights in attack during the early stages of the new campaign, with Arnaud Kalimuendo-Muinga nursing a bruised knee.
The Frenchman's absence was felt massively despite Les Rouge et Noirs' success on the opening weekend, when goalscorer Gouiri and Ludovic Blas formed a deadly two-man forward line.
Strasbourg possible starting lineup:
Johnsson; Doue, Sow, Senaya, Doukoure; Mwanga, Moreira, Bakwa, Kandil, Wiley; Emegha
Rennes possible starting lineup:
Mandanda; Assignon, Ostigard, Wooh, Seidu; Bourigeaud, Matusiwa, Kamara, Gronbaek; Blas, Gouiri
We say: Strasbourg 1-1 Rennes
After a solid draw at the home of Montpellier last weekend, Strasbourg should be confident in taking the next step and recording a victory on Sunday.
That being said, Rennes appear to be a decent outfit this season and should have enough quality in attacking areas to force a share of the spoils.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Carter White
