Rennes welcome Marseille to Roazhon Park in the opening match of the fourth Ligue 1 round. The hosts have made the stronger start with seven points from three matches, while Marseille arrive under pressure after losing twice in a row. Both teams have shown attacking quality, but neither defence has offered much security so far.

Rennes remain unbeaten after three matches

Rennes opened their season by taking a 2–0 lead against Paris Saint-Germain before eventually drawing 2–2. They followed that result with a 3–2 victory over Le Mans and then won 2–1 away against Angers.

Seven points from three matches represents an excellent start, but all three games have also shown the same pattern. Rennes have scored seven goals, while conceding five. They have now found the net in 16 consecutive matches, but have also conceded in each of their last 13.

Esteban Lepaul has been central to their strong start, scoring three goals in the opening three league rounds. Ludovic Blas and Mousa Al-Tamari provide further attacking quality around him, giving Rennes several different ways to create chances.

Their defensive record makes them difficult to trust with a clean sheet, however. Rennes lost a two-goal advantage against PSG and allowed newly promoted Le Mans to score twice at Roazhon Park.

Marseille need a response

Marseille began the season with an impressive 4–0 victory over Strasbourg, but the early optimism has quickly disappeared.

They lost 2–0 away against Monaco before suffering a 3–2 home defeat against Paris FC. Marseille came from behind twice in that match, only to concede the decisive goal from a late penalty.

Those results leave Marseille with only three points from their first three matches. Despite the disappointing start, they have still scored six league goals. Amine Gouiri has been responsible for four of them and will once again be their main threat at Roazhon Park.

Bruno Genesio’s side cannot afford to approach this match too cautiously. Rennes are already four points ahead, and another defeat would leave Marseille with plenty of ground to recover after only four rounds.

Their need for a result should create an open match. Marseille have enough attacking quality to punish Rennes’ defensive problems, but their own recent performances provide little reason to expect a clean sheet.

The statistics point towards chances at both ends

Matches between Rennes and Marseille have produced an average of 3.4 goals, with 1.8 arriving in the first half. The most common result is 1–1, which has occurred ten times overall and six times when Rennes have hosted the fixture.

The current form supports another match with goals at both ends. Every Rennes league game this season has seen both teams score and at least four total goals. Marseille have already scored four in one match and twice in another, but have conceded five goals across their last two games.

Rennes have the confidence, home advantage and attacking form to score again. Marseille’s poor results make them difficult to back outright, but Gouiri and the supporting players should find opportunities against a Rennes side that continues to concede.

Verdict

Rennes have made the better start and deserve to enter the match with confidence. They have scored at least twice in every league game, but their inability to keep clean sheets has prevented them from taking maximum control of matches.

Marseille are under pressure after consecutive defeats, yet they have enough attacking quality to contribute. With both teams averaging two or more goals per game and showing clear defensive weaknesses, there is a strong case for backing goals rather than choosing a winner.

Both sides should score, and the match has enough attacking potential to produce at least three goals.

Tip

Over 2.5 goals and both teams to score