Rennes v Lorient: European push meets visitors' unbeaten surge | OneFootball

Rennes host Lorient in Ligue 1 at Roazhon Park on Saturday, 24 January, with sixth place chasing European qualification and the visitors arriving unbeaten in five and looking to climb the table.

Rennes sit sixth and aim to firm up their position after a strong run, while Lorient are 12th and trending upwards. The visitors also have recent H2H encouragement, having beaten Rennes 4-0 in August.

Form points to a tight contest. Rennes are unbeaten in five across competitions, winning four, including a 2-0 success at Lille, before drawing 1-1 with Le Havre. Lorient's last five feature three wins and two draws, highlighted by a 3-1 victory at Monaco.

The visitors travel with a lengthy injury list that includes Isaak Touré and Darline Yongwa, which could stretch their defence, along with Panos Katseris among others.

Routes to goal are clear. Rennes have scored 30 league goals, 28 from inside the box and seven headers, and could look to wide service again after delivering 243 open play crosses at 18.93% accuracy. Estéban Lepaul has nine league goals, with Breel Embolo on five, and supply from Quentin Merlin and Mousa Al-Taamari (three assists each). Lorient have 23 goals and 30 conceded. Pablo Pagis leads their league scoring with five and may test transitions if chances come.

A home win would strengthen Rennes' European push from sixth, while a positive result for Lorient could pull them closer to the top half and add further daylight to the relegation play-off places.