Monaco can end a lengthy home winless run on Sunday when they host Rennes at Stade Louis II in a match with big European implications for both sides.
Following their 5-2 victory over Metz last week, Les Monegasques are third in Ligue 1, holding down the final place in the Champions League group stage, while Stade Rennais trail Nice by four points for a spot in the Europa League after suffering a 2-0 defeat to Strasbourg.
Match preview
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A series of positive results in March has the Principality club in a strong position to secure a spot in Europe next season.
Adi Hutter's men went unbeaten last month and have points in five successive domestic fixtures, putting them three points clear of Lille for a place in the Champions League group stage and seven points above Lens for one of the five European spots available.
They are on their longest unbeaten run of the Ligue 1 campaign since claiming at least a point in their opening five domestic contests this season, while ASM have not had a longer unbeaten run in the top-flight since December 2022-February 2023 (nine).
It would take a lot for Monaco to win the league, trailing Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) by 13 points with seven domestic matches remaining, but second place is well within their reach, as they currently trail Brest by just a single point, a side they will face following this game.
After winning six of their opening eight top-flight affairs at home in 2023, the Principality has not been so kind to this team in 2024, with ASM currently tied with Nantes for the longest home winless run in Ligue 1 (six matches) and without a victory in Monaco this year.
Les Monegasques have only suffered one defeat to Rennes in their last 13 Ligue 1 encounters against them at Stade Louis II, losing 2-1 in December 2017.
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While Monaco had a strong month of March, it was the opposite for Stade Rennais, who won just one of their four domestic contests last month and dropped two valuable points when they squandered a 2-0 lead to Lille (2-2 draw).
Throughout this domestic campaign, Les Rennais have failed to win four matches in this competition when leading at the half, dropping eight points as a result, which could have them up to fourth in the table instead of their current position in eighth.
Julien Stephan's side are goalless in two successive matches in all competitions, as their Coupe de France title aspirations were dashed this week when they were beaten 1-0 in their semi-final fixture versus PSG.
Rennes are winless in three successive Ligue 1 fixtures away from home and have won just one of their last five domestic contests after winning six in a row.
Since the beginning of 2024, they have not conceded a single goal in the opening half of a Ligue 1 encounter, but the Brittany side were outscored 6-2 in the final 45 minutes of their matches played last month.
Stade Rennais have scored in 13 successive top-flight games versus Les Monegasques, but their highest losing percentage versus a single opponent in the French top flight is also against the Principality club (54%).
Team News
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Mohamed Camara is expected to miss at least a couple more weeks for Monaco because of a sprained knee, while it is estimated that Guillermo Maripan will return around that same time after sustaining a muscle injury while on international duty with Chile.
Denis Zakaria is eligible to return from suspension and Breel Embolo is nearing a return for Les Monegasques, having missed a good portion of the campaign with a cruciate ligament tear.
Last weekend, Folarin Balogun became the first US international to score a brace as a substitute in the big five European leagues since Charlie Davies with Sochaux in August 2009, with the other Monaco goals last week coming courtesy of Takumi Minamino, Maghnes Akliouche and Vanderson.
Ludovic Blas and Adrien Truffert are eligible to return for Rennes on Sunday after both were suspended in their defeat to Strasbourg.
From matchday 26 to 27, Stephan made three changes to his starting 11, bringing Arthur Theate, Desire Doue and Azor Matusiwa into the fold instead of Blas, Truffert and Arnaud Kalimuendo.
Benjamin Bourigeaud has a goal involvement in four successive league fixtures versus Monaco, scoring their only goal against them in a 2-1 defeat earlier this season.
Monaco possible starting lineup:
Majecki; Vanderson, Singo, Kehrer, Jakobs; Fofana, Zakaria; Akliouche, Minamino, Golovin; Ben Yedder
Rennes possible starting lineup:
Mandanda; G. Doue, Omari, Wooh, Truffert; Santamaria; Gouiri, Bourigeaud, Blas, Terrier; Kalimuendo
We say: Monaco 2-1 Rennes
This might be the match for Monaco to end their lengthy winless run at home, as Rennes are not a strong away side and have plenty of defensive issues like Les Monegasques, and we believe the overall quality of the home side will prevail.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
