After a two-week break, in this weekend, the fixtures of the 18th matchday in France’s Ligue 1 will take place. Here, the Breton regional derby Lorient vs. Stade Rennais will open the programme on Friday at 21:00. Thus, the seventh in the Ligue 1 table will face the fifth at the Stade du Moustoir. The Merlus and the Rouge et Noir took 32 and 37 points respectively.
What speaks for Lorient?
- Netted in seven of their last eight league matches.
What speaks for Stade Rennais?
- Boosted their confidence with a home win over leaders Paris Saint-Germain in their most recent fixture.
Our betting prediction:
- Prediction: Both teams to score – Yes
- Odds: 1.76
Expert analysis Lorient
Lorient collected 18 of their 32 points between early September and early October. In that period, Régis Le Bris’s team notched up six wins in a row. Here, the Merlus prevailed, for example, at home against the ninth-placed Olympique Lyonnais (3-1) and against the sixth-ranked Lille OSC (2-1).
This series broke with a 0-0 home draw against the eleventh-placed Stade Reims. Then, the October ended with a 2-2 at the 14th-ranked ES Troyes and a 1-2 home defeat to the tenth-placed OGC Nice. The Merlus didn’t rebound from these point losses. Consequently, they went into the break with another 1-2 domestic defeat to the leaders Paris Saint-Germain and a 1-1 at the fifth-bottom Racing Strasbourg. That trend continued at the end of December in their Ligue 1 return with a 0-2 home defeat to the 15th-placed HSC Montpellier.
Then, Lorient started the year with a 2-1 away win against the last-placed Angers SCO. But this victory constituted a flash in the pan. Because: The Merlus most recently experienced a 2-2 home draw against fourth-placed AS Monaco and on 14 January a 1-3 away defeat against third-placed Olympique Marseille. Here, for example, goals were scored by both opponents for the seventh time in eight championship matches of Lorient.
Expert analysis Stade Rennais
The same event occurred in seven of the eight Ligue 1 results that Stade Rennais experienced from the eleventh to the eighteenth matchday. Here, a 3-0 home victory against HSC Montpellier on 30 October constituted the exception. In the preceding weeks, Bruno Génésio’s side celebrated a 3-2 home victory over Olympique Lyon and a 2-1 in Angers. Thereafter, the Rouge et Noir achieved in their last championship games before the World Cup a 1-1 at Lille OSC and a 2-1 home win against the twelfth-ranked Toulouse.
On their return from the break, however, Stade Rennes suffered a false start. Because: This time’s guests lost at Stade Reims with 1-3. Then, Génésio’s team returned to the winning track with a 2-1 against OGC Nice in front of their public. But on 11 January, with a 1-2 against the eighth-placed Clermont Foot, the second consecutive away defeat followed. Afterwards, Rouge et Noir recharged their self-confidence before the Breton regional derby on 15 January with a 1-0 home win over Paris Saint-Germain.
Head-to-head comparison Lorient – Stade Rennais
The first Lorient – Stade Rennais clash in France’s Ligue 1 2022/2023 ended in a 1-0 away win for the Merlus. But they lost all three of their competitive matches against their regional rivals in the last season. Here, Lorient suffered against Stade Rennes in the championship a 0-2 home defeat and a 0-5 debacle. Furthermore, the home side was beaten away in the Coupe de France.
Our betting prediction and the best odds
In seven of the last eight games involving the home side in the Breton regional derby Lorient vs. Stade Rennais, both teams scored goals. This occurred, for example, in a 2-1 at the bottom-placed Angers SCO, a 2-2 domestic draw against fourth-placed AS Monaco and a 1-3 away defeat to third-placed Olympique Marseille.
Stade Rennes headed into the two-week break on 15 January with a 1-0 home win over the top-ranked Paris Saint-Germain. However, four days earlier, the fifth-placed side in the Ligue 1 table lost 1-2 to eight-ranked Clermont Foot. This marked their seventh league game in eight appearances, in which both teams netted goals.
Lorient vs. Stade Rennais – betting prediction: Both teams to score – Yes, odds 1.76
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