Bottom-placed Montpellier HSC welcome resurgent Rennes to Stade de la Mosson on Sunday for round 24 of Ligue 1, desperate for a turnaround result to revive their fading survival hopes.
La Paillade approach this fixture on the back of a dismal four-match losing streak, leaving them rooted to the foot of the standings with 15 points, a distant seven from safety, while the visitors occupy 13th place with 26 points after a recent upturn in results.
Match preview
© Imago
Enduring a torrid campaign, Montpellier's latest setback came in the form of a 2-0 defeat at Nice last weekend, mirroring the scorelines of two of their previous three losses against Lens and Strasbourg.
MHSC's only goal in this barren run came in a 4-1 thrashing by Lyon, underlining their struggles in the final third, while defensive frailties saw them concede in both halves in each of those matches.
Jean-Louis Gasset's side's campaign has been plagued by prolonged winless runs punctuated by fleeting victories, with back-to-back triumphs over Monaco and Toulouse before their latest slump being Montpellier's only successes in their last 12 Ligue 1 outings.
La Paillade's struggles are evident at both ends of the pitch, with just 21 goals scored — the second-fewest in the division — while their defensive woes are more glaring, having conceded 54, making them the league's most porous side, and fixing these problems is imperative if they are to get a positive result this weekend.
Seeking to halt another slide and possibly use it as a springboard for a more sustained run, Gasset's men face a daunting task against a Rennes side that has dominated this fixture in recent years, with Montpellier winning just two of their last 11 meetings while suffering eight defeats, including a 3-0 loss in September's reverse matchup.
© Imago
Meanwhile, Rennes put any fears of another prolonged slump to rest by bouncing back from a defeat to Lille with a 1-0 victory over Reims last weekend.
Arnaud Kalimuendo's 10th-minute penalty proved decisive for the Red and Blacks, who have now won three of their last four games, a resurgence sparked by a managerial change.
Prior to this turnaround, Les Rennais had endured a five-match losing streak across all competitions, including four in Ligue 1, which led to Jorge Sampaoli's dismissal and the appointment of Habib Beye.
While the new boss aims to continue his promising start with another victory, Rennes must address their poor away form, having managed just one win in 10 top-flight outings, with four points from those games making them the division's third-worst travellers.
Team News
© Imago
Montpellier will be without Becir Omeragic (meniscus), Modibo Sagnan (calf) and Issiaga Sylla, who remains sidelined with a groin problem.
Adding to their woes, Nikola Maksimovic is ruled out for the season with a hamstring injury, while Christopher Jullien nears a return from an ACL issue.
For Rennes, goalkeeper Brice Samba, centre-back Christopher Wooh and winger Ludovic Blas are back in contention after serving suspensions.
However, Anthony Rouault, yet to feature since his January arrival from Stuttgart, could remain sidelined with an ankle problem, while Alidu Seidu is still unavailable with a cruciate ligament injury.
Montpellier HSC possible starting lineup:
Lecomte; Kouyate, Tchato, Meite, Mouanga, Sainte-Luce; Nzingoula, Fayad, Chotard; Delort, Coulibaly
Rennes possible starting lineup:
Samba; Jacquet, Wooh, Brassier; Assignon, James, Cisse, Truffert; Tamari, Kalimuendo, Tamari
We say: Montpellier HSC 0-2 Rennes
Rennes arrive as clear favourites, buoyed by their resurgence and dominance in this fixture, with their strong form making an away victory the most likely outcome against the struggling hosts.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Adeyeye Oluwapelumi
