Football Bet of the Day: Rennes’ woes offer value

Rennes were expected to make a Champions League push this term, but they find themselves close to the drop zone in Ligue 1.

That could lead to another great weekend for Englishman abroad Will Still, who has lifted Stade de Reims into the European mix.

Rennes enter the weekend sat in 13th position in the Ligue 1 standings, just a point clear of the bottom three. After two strong seasons where they got themselves in the mix for a Champions League spot, this season has brought backward steps for the club, leading to Bruno Genesio’s dismissal.

The hosts’ tally of 12 points is their lowest at this stage of the campaign since 2002/03. They’ve also dropped as many points at home this term (12) as they did through the entire 2022/23 campaign.

Rennes head into this clash having lost four of their last five games in Ligue 1, while they’ve won only once across their last six home matches in the league. They’ve yet to keep a clean sheet on home soil and those defensive issues could haunt them this weekend.

Still has already made a name for himself after a brief stint as Reims manager, having turned their fortunes around quickly last term. He put together a brilliant unbeaten run which ran from October to March, which saw them twice hold off PSG.

The visitors suffered a 3-0 defeat to PSG in their last game, but that hasn’t stopped them from making their best-ever start to a Ligue 1 campaign.

They’ve claimed 20 points from their opening 12 matches, which has them fifth in the table. With a fourth Champions League spot opening up to French clubs, Still’s side are pushing to join Europe’s elite next term.

Reims have put together a five-game unbeaten run on the road coming into this one, winning three of those games. They’ve picked off decent sides like Lille and Nantes on the road so far, so they should be able to shut down a struggling Rennes outfit.

The hosts have won just once across their last 11 league games, while they meet a side who are doing just enough to pick up results on their travels. Still’s side should hope to bounce back from their defeat to PSG, while Rennes were beaten 1-0 at home to bottom-club Lyon in their last match.

The visitors’ great season should continue in this visit to Roazhon Park. While Reims are tempting at 11/4 for the win, Rennes’ scant number of victories makes Draw No Bet a better market to go for here, with Reims still value at 7/4 to win with the draw removed.