The Ligue 1 campaign is back underway following their winter break as every single club in the top flight attempts to get 2024 off to a great start. There’s still a whole lot to play for at both ends of the table and given what we know about this division, we should expect the unexpected. Today, we’ll be taking a look at what should be a fun clash between Rennes and Nice.
Rennes Form GuideA strong end to the campaign ensured that Rennes finished in the top four last season, and that’s exactly what they deserved. They continue to build as a club to the point where it’s hard not to take them seriously at this level. They’re fun to watch, they have an incredible fanbase, and they have a squad that is capable of beating just about anyone in the league.
Rennes lost three straight to Marseille, Monaco and Villarreal before a 0-0 draw with Toulouse helped ease things up a little bit. From there, they picked up a nice 3-1 win over Clermont, before dispatching of Guingamp 2-0 in the league.
Nice Form GuideAfter another midtable campaign last season, Nice went back to the drawing board in the summer and did everything they could to assemble a strong, competitive unit from top to bottom. Based on early evidence, it certainly seems as if they’ve achieved that goal, but the big test will come when they have to maintain this consistency for months and months.
Inconsistency has been the name of the game for Nice recently. They beat Toulouse, then lost to Nantes. They beat Reims, then lost to Le Havre. They beat Lens, then required penalties to get past Auxerre in the Coupe de France.
Match PredictionThe power of Rennes’ home support has to be admired but if there’s a team that can neutralise that and really get after them, it’s going to be Nice. We can see a scenario in which they start fast and don’t take their foot off the gas, which is why we’re predicting a Nice win.
