Rennes - Grenoble

Rennes are absolutely brilliant this season. Only one defeat in the first 19 matches speaks for itself. They do have 10 draws, but even that was enough to be just four points behind impressive Lyon.

Rennes are constantly at the top of French football in the last few years and their good league position is not achieved by accident. They have a healthy budget and the youth academy produces at least one good player every year. Together with several more experienced players these make a team very tough to beat. Wiltord, Rennes graduate, returned to the club after several very successful seasons in Arsenal and Lyon and his experience is a big asset to the team. He is far from his best form but he serves as a role model for younger players and he can still get the job done. They brought Gyan from Udinese this summer and few others returned from loans, thus the departure of some players didn’t affect the results and it seems that Rennes are even better than last season.

Grenoble were promoted to Ligu1 and they immediately became the surprise package of the campaign. They produced some very good result and even though they had been predicted a relegation battle, they stayed near the top for quite a while. Of course, this couldn’t last much longer and it seems that the time has come for them to return to where they belong. They finished the first part of the season ten points clear of the relegation zone after beating Le Mans. They don’t have big ambitions and would be perfectly happy to stay where they are. They showed that they could be dangerous on the travels, and three wins and four draws in 10 away games is a very good result. Still, it seems that they are losing ground and that inexperience and small squad is kicking in. The small break did them good as they ere able to recharge the batteries and now they can continue where they left off.

The hosts will be without Thomert, Mbia and Marveux but it shouldn’t be a problem for Lacombe as he has plenty of great players. The absence of Paillot, Rendulic, Maubleu, Mainfroi and El Moubarki will be a problem for the visitors.

I think that Rennes will be able to beat Grenoble without problems and continue their quest for the Champions League place and they certainly have the quality to do that. If they could trash Lyon and PSG and drew with Marseille, they can surely beat Grenoble. Bet 8 on Rennes to win at 1.55 at Expekt