- 1 Rennes vs Auxerre: a bruised home side against a team that’s finally stopped leaking
- 2 Rennes: unbeaten at home, third for big chances, and third for wasting them
- 3 Auxerre: one goal conceded in two games after shipping 11 in three
- 4 Free Ligue 1 Prediction: Rennes vs Auxerre
- 5 About our free predictions
- 6 No commitment from us
- 7 Information changes
- 8 Your responsibility
- 9 Responsible gambling
- 10 Legal age
- 11 About visuals
Rennes vs Auxerre: a bruised home side against a team that’s finally stopped leaking 
Rennes conceded four goals at Lyon before the break. In their other five competitive games this season, they’d conceded five in total. One bad night in the Rhone, and suddenly the conversation around Franck Haise’s side feels very different.
That 4-0 defeat was their first of the campaign, and it dropped them to fifth in Ligue 1 on 10 points. Before it, Rennes had drawn 2-2 with PSG, beaten Le Mans 3-2, won 2-1 at Angers and edged Marseille 1-0. Not a bad body of work. The Lyon result just doesn’t fit with any of it.
Auxerre arrive at Roazhon Park on Sunday, kick-off 17:15 Paris time, on the back of their best spell of the season. Will Still’s side won their last two league games, 1-0 against Nice and 2-1 against Brest, and climbed to 10th with six points.
The context for that run matters. Still lost his first three league games in charge of the Burgundy club, and his side conceded 11 goals across that stretch. Since then, they’ve let in one. That’s a big shift in a short time.
So which version turns up in Brittany? Rennes have good reasons to back themselves at home, but Auxerre have a decent record at this ground. They’ve taken points from five of their last six visits to Roazhon Park, including a 2-2 draw in this exact fixture last season.
Both teams play in games with goals. In Ligue 1 this season, four of Auxerre’s five matches have seen both sides score, and three of Rennes’ five have gone the same way. That’s the thread running through this preview.
Rennes: unbeaten at home, third for big chances, and third for wasting them 
Here’s the key thing about Rennes this season: they create plenty. Nineteen big chances so far, third-best in the league. They’ve also missed 16 of them, which is also third in the division. The volume is there. The finishing hasn’t always followed.
When they do get in front, they tend to stay there. Rennes have scored first in all but one of their league games, and they’ve dropped only two points in matches where they opened the scoring. That’s a team that knows how to manage a lead.
Home form has been solid. Three league games at Roazhon Park, two wins and a draw against PSG. A result on Sunday would make it four unbeaten at home to start the season, something they also managed last year.
But the defending around those wins hasn’t been airtight. Le Mans scored twice there. PSG scored twice there. Even before Lyon, Rennes weren’t a side that shut games down completely, and that’s relevant for a match like this one.
Esteban Lepaul is the name to watch. Last season’s top scorer made his France debut during the international window, but he hasn’t found the net in Ligue 1 since matchday two. That’s a long gap for a striker of his level. Sunday would be a good time to end it.
The only selection doubt is Djaoui Cisse, who could be a late call because of a lingering groin strain. Otherwise, Haise has his squad available. There’s no sugarcoating the Lyon defeat, but this is still a side with depth and quality across the front line.
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Auxerre: one goal conceded in two games after shipping 11 in three 
Will Still’s start at Auxerre doesn’t bear close inspection. A 5-2 defeat at Lens, a 3-1 home loss to Angers, then a 3-1 defeat at Lyon. Eleven goals against in three games and zero points to show for it.
Then something clicked. A 1-0 win over Nice, followed by a 2-1 win over Brest, and only one goal conceded across both. Credit where it’s due: the former Southampton coach has tightened things up quickly.
The caveat is that both of those wins came at home. Auxerre haven’t won a Ligue 1 away game under Still yet, and a win on Sunday would be only their second domestic away win since March. Their two league trips this season ended 5-2 and 3-1. That’s a lot of goals conceded on the road.
Cameron Archer gives them a genuine outlet. He put Auxerre ahead against Brest, before a late Raphael Le Guen own goal handed them the three points. In a game where Rennes will have the ball, Archer’s movement on the break is how Auxerre will hurt them.
The squad isn’t at full strength. Marvin Senaya is doubtful with a sore hamstring, Bryan Okoh and Assane Diousse are both recovering from cruciate ligament tears, and Christ Makosso is suspended. That’s a lot of defensive cover missing for a team that’s only just found its shape.
Will the new solidity survive a trip to Brittany? The head-to-head offers mixed signals. Rennes won 3-0 in Auxerre last February, but the October meeting at Roazhon Park finished 2-2, and Auxerre won 1-0 here in April 2025.
Probable lineup Rennes: Samba; Frankowski, Ait Boudlal, Cresswell, Merlin; Rongier; Mayenda, Camara, Thomasson, Al-Taamari; Lepaul
Probable lineup Auxerre: Diop; Diomande, Tuanzebe, Akpa; Sy, Faivre, Danois, Oppegard; Loader, Archer, Lascary
Free Ligue 1 Prediction: Rennes vs Auxerre
Our prediction: Both teams to score (odds 1.62)
Rennes are rightly favourites, but the straight home win sits around 1.41, which is below where we’d want to be. The better angle is goals at both ends. Rennes have conceded twice in two of their three home league games, and Auxerre’s away matches have produced 11 goals in two outings.
Auxerre have found some defensive solidity, but they’ve done it at home and without the injuries they now carry at the back. With Senaya doubtful and Makosso suspended, this is a weakened back line heading to a ground where Rennes create big chances freely. And Archer has shown he can punish a side that commits bodies forward.
Both teams have scored in four of Auxerre’s five league games and three of Rennes’ five. Add Auxerre’s habit of taking something from this ground, and both teams to score at 1.62 is the selection.
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