PSG vs. Rennes: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream and TV Info
One week after winning the Coupe de la Ligue for the third consecutive time, Paris Saint-Germain are back in Ligue 1 action with Stade Rennais the visitors to Parc des Princes on Friday.
Rolland Courbis’ men still have an outside chance of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League but a spot in the UEFA Europa League is more realistic at this point. That could change with three points in the French capital though.
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Date: Friday, April 29
Time: 8:30 p.m. CET (7:30 p.m. GMT/2:30 p.m. EST)
Venue: Parc des Princes, Paris
TV Info: beIN Sports 1 (France), beIN Sports (USA)
Live Stream: beIN Sports Connect
Preamble
PSG welcome Rennes to Parc des Princes in one of their two final home fixtures of the season.
With the Ligue 1 title already secured, there is little left for Laurent Blanc’s men to play for against the Bretons, Gazelec Ajaccio, Girondins de Bordeaux or FC Nantes.
However, there is still the matter of a Coupe de France final against bitter rivals Olympique de Marseille to come, so the players need to remain sharp for that showdown at Stade de France next month.
Rennes still harbour hopes of European qualification but realistically, it will be for the Europa League and not for the Champions League.
Seven points behind third-placed AS Monaco with just three matches left after the pair’s 1-1 draw at Roazhon Park last Sunday, finishing in that top three is now unlikely. Instead, Courbis’ men must target a top five finish and that might be hard enough.
Les Rouges et Noirs are five points behind fourth-placed OGC Nice and fifth-placed AS Saint-Etienne, so it may well be that Rennes end up falling just short of continental qualification this campaign.
Form Lines (all competitions)
PSG
W 0-2 vs. EA Guingamp (Ligue 1)
L 1-0 vs. Manchester City (Champions League)
W 6-0 vs. SM Caen (Ligue 1)
W 0-1 vs. FC Lorient (Coupe de France)
W 2-1 vs. Lille OSC (Coupe de la Ligue)
Rennes
W 2-5 vs. Olympique de Marseille (Ligue 1)
W 3-1 vs. Stade de Reims (Ligue 1)
L 3-0 vs. OGC Nice (Ligue 1)
L 0-3 vs. EA Guingamp (Ligue 1)
D 1-1 vs. AS Monaco (Ligue 1)
Predicted Formations
PSG (4-3-3): Trapp; Aurier, Silva (c), Luiz/Kimpembe, Maxwell/Kurzawa; Stambouli/Motta, Verratti, Pastore; Di Maria, Ibrahimovic, Cavani.
"Paris-Rennes : les compos probables (LeParisien et L'Équipe) #PSG #PSGSRFC pic.twitter.com/yw9Bz5HGDY
— Paris No Limit™ (@ParisNoLimit) April 29, 2016"
Rennes (4-2-3-1): Costil; Moreira, Mexer, Armand (c), Baal; Sylla/Gnagnon, Andre; Boga/Pedro Henrique, Dembele, Gourcuff; Sio.
Player to Watch
Although he is without a goal in his last three Ligue 1 appearances, Rennes’ Ousmane Dembele is the man to keep an eye on this Friday.
The versatile 18-year-old attacking talent has scored 12 goals and provided five assists in just 23 outings for the Bretons, and he is rightly considered one of Europe’s most exciting young talents at present.
Dembele appears to be feeling the pressure of the tidal wave of speculation that is surrounding his future at present, but the teenage sensation could benefit from coming up against a PSG side with no real motivation to perform at their highest level.
If the Rennes No. 23 can help inspire his team to three points in Paris, European qualification would suddenly appear more feasible once more.
Key Battle
Like in so many matches this season, the key battle will take place between PSG’s attack and their opponents' defence.
If the capital club’s front line can be kept quiet on Friday, then Rennes certainly have a chance of coming away from Parc des Princes with a point or more.
With Marco Verratti and Javier Pastore still finding their feet after long injury lay-offs, Blaise Matuidi absent and Adrien Rabiot suspended, the hosts' midfield could get overrun if they are not prepared to raise their game.
If PSG get complacent, the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani, Angel Di Maria and Lucas Moura are unlikely to see that much of the ball because the midfield will not be as dominant as usual. This would make life much easier for the likes of captain Sylvain Armand, Mexer, Steven Moreira and Ludovic Baal.
Assuming that Rennes’ back line is not tested too much, the attacking unit of Dembele, Yoann Gourcuff, Jeremie Boga and/or Pedro Henrique, as well as Giovanni Sio, certainly has the potential to cause PSG some problems.
Odds (OddsShark)
PSG: -294
Rennes: +781
Draw: +401
