Lille and Rennes get underway in the new year when they square off at the Stade Pierre Mauroy in round 17 of the French Ligue 1 on Saturday. Meetings between the two sides have often served up fireworks in the past and we anticipate another end-to-end affair this weekend as they continue their push for European football.
FootballWhispers’ Lille vs Rennes prediction examines the chances of the two in-form sides claiming all three points in Villeneuve-d'Ascq.
Contents
Lille vs Rennes prediction: Lille to extend hot streak on home turf
Key stats
- Lille are on a run of five consecutive victories at the Stade Pierre Mauroy in all competitions, stretching back to October 23, when they fell to a narrow 4-3 loss against PAOK in the Europa League.
- Rennes have failed to win nine of their last 11 Ligue 1 away matches, losing five and picking up four draws while conceding 26 goals and scoring 13 since April 26.
- Lille have opened the scoring in six of their last eight games against Rennes, but they have managed just two clean sheets in their most recent eight encounters.
Correct score prediction: Lille 3-1 Rennes
Lille and Rennes head into the new year in strong form and will be looking to continue from where they dropped off in 2025. However, Lille have been near impenetrable at home of late and we are backing them to see off Habib Beye’s men, who have struggled for results on their travels.
Pre-game odds and win probability: Bookmakers back Lille in first outing of the year
- HOME: 17/2 (1.85) – 54.1%
- DRAW: 27/10 (3.70) – 27%
- AWAY: 29/10 (3.90) – 25.6%
*odds from Ladbrokes, subject to change
Heading into the second half of the campaign, Lille can take pride in their performance in the Ligue 1 so far, as they are well on course to clinch European qualification and are in contention for the league title.
Bruno Genesio’s men closed out the year in strong fashion, picking up four wins from their final four league games, including a thrilling 4-3 victory over Auxerre in their heated contest at the Stade de l'Abbe-Deschamps on December 14.
This fine run of results has seen Lille surge into fourth place in the Ligue 1 standings, level on 32 points with third-placed Marseille and five points adrift of league leaders Lens.
Monaco ended the year with a late 1-0 victory over National League side US Lusitanos Saint-Maur on December 20 to reach the Coupe de France round of 32, and the bookmakers fancy them to come out on top this weekend.
This is indicated by their 54.1% win probability, compared to Rennes’ 25.6% while there is a 27% chance of the spoils being shared at the Stade Pierre Mauroy on Saturday.
Like the home side, Rennes booked their spot in the round of 32 of the Coupe de France last time out when they cruised to a 3-0 victory over National League outfit Les Sables Vendee Foot at Roazhon Park.
Prior to that, Habib Beye’s men saw their run of four consecutive league victories come to an end on December 6, when they suffered a 5-0 hammering at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain, one week before bouncing back in a 3-1 victory over Brest.
Having managed just two wins from their first 10 Ligue 1 games, a run of five victories from their most recent six outings has seen Rennes surge into sixth place in the league standings, level on 27 points with fifth-placed Lyon.
While we take a deeper look into both teams, you can take a peek at some of the best picks and predictions for this weekend’s fixtures by FootballWhispers in today’s free football betting tips.
Most recent H2Hs: Lille unbeaten since May 2019
Lille have been utterly dominant in the history of this fixture across their most recent 12 meetings with Rennes, picking up six wins and six draws since a 3-1 loss in May 2019.
Lille won both home and away meetings between the two teams last season, picking up a 1-0 home victory in November 2024, before claiming a more convincing 2-0 win at Roazhon Park last February.
France Ligue 1 16/02/25
Rennes
Lille
France Ligue 1 24/11/24
Lille
Rennes
France Ligue 1 10/03/24
Lille
Rennes
France Ligue 1 16/09/23
Rennes
Lille
France Ligue 1 04/02/23
Rennes
Lille
Lille preview: A plethora of missing players
Lille will have to cope without the African Cup of Nations contingent of Hamza Igamane (Morocco), Aissa Mandi (Algeria), Chancel Mbemba and Ngalayel Mukau (both Congo DR), who are away on international duty.
French defender Romain Perraud will also sit out this weekend’s tie, as he serves the second of a three-game suspension after picking up a red card against Auxerre on December 14.
On the injury front, Mathias Fernandez-Pardo has missed the last three games through a muscle problem while Ousmane Toure has been sidelined since August through a severe knee injury.
Predicted lineup: Ozer (GK), Meunier, Ngoy, Goffi, Santos, Andre, Bentaleb, Mbappe, Haraldsson, Sahraoui & Giroud
Last five games
- Lusitanos 0-1 Lille
- Auxerre 3-4 Lille
- Young Boys 1-0 Lille
- Lille 1-0 Marseille
- Le Havre 0-1 Lille
Rennes preview: Key defender a major doubt
Rennes will take to the pitch without the services of Abdelhamid Ait Boudlal (Morocco), Seko Fofana (Ivory Coast) and Mahamadou Nagida (Cameroon), who are currently on international duty at the ongoing AFCON.
Polish defender Przemyslaw Frankowski missed the game against Les Stables last time out through injury and the 30-year-old is a major doubt for Saturday’s matchup.
Predicted lineup: Samba (GK), Brassier, Jacquet, Rouault, Tamari, Cisse, Rongier, Camara, Merlin, Lepaul & Embolo
Last five games
- Rennes 3-0 Les Sables
- Rennes 3-1 Brest
- Paris Saint-Germain 5-0 Rennes
- Metz 0-1 Rennes
- Rennes 4-1 Monaco
Player to watch — Esteban Lepaul
Lepaul has been a standout performer for Rennes this season and the French striker will be one to keep an eye on at the Stade Pierre Mauroy.
Having joined from Angers for big money last summer, the 25-year-old currently leads Rennes in league goals and assists, netting nine times and setting up three more in what has been an impressive debut campaign.
Lepaul endured a relatively quiet outing against Les Sables last time out, but we expect the Frenchman to retain his role in Rennes' attack, teaming up with Breel Embolo in the front two.