Rennes Must Win
If the Ligue 1 season ended today, Rennes would qualify for the Group Stage of the UEFA Europa League. That would be a step forward for a team that last season qualified for the playoff round.
The thing is, losing to Lille could make the Black and Reds fall to sixth place, leaving them out of continental tournament altogether. On the other hand, if Rennes win and Marseille loses, they will qualify for the UEFA Champions League.
As for Lille, the former champions hope to end a disappointing season on a high. Despite playing at home, the Mastiffs come in as the soccer betting underdogs at +320.
Let’s check the latest news, stats, injury reports and France League 1 for Lille vs Rennes. We’ve plenty of predictions for you to consider.
Lille Motivated
Yes, Lille didn’t meet expectations, but the Mastiffs still are a very competitive side. Just ask Nice, the team sitting in sixth place that couldn’t beat Lille in the last fixture. Lille defeated Nice 3-1 on the road. Good thing our football prediction was the total going over.
Jonathan David was the Player of the Match after scoring two goals. Despite the team’s disappointing season, David never stopped shining. The Canadian striker has scored 15 goals, enough to be among the league’s top scorers. Timothy Weah also scored. The 22-year-old took advantage of this campaign to consolidate himself as a starter.
The Mastiffs have been a bit more reliable option when playing at home. They own a 7-7-4 record (7-5-7 on the road). They only lost three out of their last 10 games at Pierre-Mauroy, scoring in six of those 10 games and finishing with a clean sheet six times.
Lille will be playing for honor as its best option is to finish in ninth place. Even so, manager Jocelyn Gourvennec promised a good fight. Gourvennec and the players want the fans to leave with good sensations toward next season.
Rennes: Go Big or Go Home
Having a better goal-differential than Marseille gives Rennes the advantage in case of a draw in third place. However, that doesn’t matter if the Black and Reds don’t defeat Lille. After a season of such promise, finishing outside of the top three would be a huge disappointment.
Precisely, last Saturday, Rennes got a huge 2-0 victory over the Olympians in order to keep hope alive. Benjamin Bourigeaud and Lovro Majer were the scorers. Keep in mind that the Black and Reds finished with a clean sheet in three of their last four games.
Another reason for Rennes to come in as the betting online favorite is the team’s dynamic duo. We’re talking about Martin Terrier and Gaetan Laborde, who combine for 36 goals. Rennes is the only team with two players among the league’s top five scorers.
Their numbers on the road aren’t the best at 6-4-8, but they only lost two of their last six matches. Recently, they also put up a really good fight at Parc des Princes. PSG won with a very late goal (93 minutes) from Kylian Mbappe.
Rennes is offering a -130 price. That means you would need to wager $130 to make a $100 profit. Not bad considering the visitors must go all-right from the start and they don’t have any major injury concerns.
Lille vs Rennes Head-to-Head
- Previous Matches: 97
- Lille Victories: 38 (135 goals)
- Rennes Victories: 28 (127 goals)
- Draws: 31
Here’s why Lille could be considered a tempting online gambling underdog. The Mastiffs already defeated Rennes (2-1) on the road. In fact, Lille hasn’t lost to Rennes since the 2018-19 season.
Curiously enough, in their last 10 meetings, both failed to score twice. During that span, there were more yellow cards (26) than goals (23).
Lille vs Rennes Game Information
- Date: Saturday, May 21st
- Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Pierre-Mauroy, Lille
- Lille vs Rennes Live Stream: fuboTV
Lille vs Rennes Betting Lines
Team | Handicap | Moneyline | Total | Team Total |
Lille | +½ Ev | +320 | 3 -105 o | ½ -235 o ½ +185 u |
Stade Rennes | -½ -130 | -130 | 3 -125 u | 1½ -150 o 1½ +120 u |
Draw | +295 |
Lille vs Rennes Prediction
Despite a disappointing season, Lille deserves respect, especially with David being on fire. That’s why I expect the Mastiffs to put up another good fight, enough for the game to finish with a draw. I also expect both teams to score, but not enough for the total to go over. Games between these two are usually very close. The total went under in six of their last 10 meetings.
Score Prediction: Lille 1, Rennes 1