Olympique de Marseille vs Rennes – Free Football Tips and Predictions – French Cup – February 3, 2026

Marseille – Rennes: the Cup turned escape route — Velodrome set to explode

Tuesday night the Orange Velodrome won’t be just a ground. It’ll be an arena. A French Cup round of 16 between two historic clubs, two ambitions that bite, and pressure weighing heavy on shoulders. Marseille are hunting their eleventh national title. Rennes dream of a fourth. One-off tie. No second leg. All the chaos and flash the Cup loves to serve.

Marseille: the Cup went from Plan B to priority

Summer fed the dreams. Roberto De Zerbi, a bolstered squad, ambition on display. Marseille wanted to look Paris in the eye. Then the machine hiccuped. Dropped points, momentum dulled, PSG slipped away. Result: the French Cup climbed the pecking order. From a nice extra to the quickest route to a trophy. In the competition OM hit hard. Very hard. Bourg-Péronnas swept 6-0, Bayeux smashed 9-0 next round. Shows against lower leagues, sure, but still a message. De Zerbi fielded heavy artillery. He could unleash it again on Tuesday.

The issue is current form. Two defeats, a draw, just one win in the last four matches across all competitions. Even at the Velodrome certainties are cracking — two losses in the last three. Still, it’s not all doom. In the league the Olympians have four matches without defeat: three wins and then a stubborn draw with Paris FC at the weekend. The crowd still believes. And when Marseille believes, the stadium follows.

Rennes: ambition back, doubts linger

In Brittany the season has a different tint. After a flat previous campaign, Habib Beye has steered Rennes the right way. Europe is in view in France’s top flight, and the Cup has them licking their lips. Last year Rennes exited embarrassingly, dumped out by Troyes in the round of 32. This time the run is neater: Les Sables beaten 3-0, Chantilly 3-1. But the level up is real.

Against Chantilly Rennes wobbled. Behind, then rescued after Sambou Yatabaré was sent off before they turned it. Not exactly comforting before heading to Marseille. And 2026 hasn’t been kind so far. Only one win against a top-flight side — Lille in early January. Two defeats on the spin without scoring, including a harsh 4-0 at Monaco on Saturday. It stings. There is one solid plank though: away form. Just three defeats in ten league trips this season. Rennes travel well. They concede little on the road. In a Cup tie that can be enough to stick around.

Probable line-ups

Marseille :
De Lange ; Pavard, Balerdi, Medina ; Weah, Hojbjerg, Timber, Paixao ; Greenwood, Traore ; Gouiri

Rennes :
Samba ; Seidu, Boudlal, Brassier ; Frankowski, Camara, Cisse, Merlin, Tamari ; Lepaul, Embolo

Football Pick Marseille vs Rennes

Marseille to win

Both teams arrive with doubts. Marseille have a lot on the line. Rennes travel well. Everything points to a close, tense, often stop-start scrap. But on nights like this the Velodrome can flip a match. A burst of pace. A loose ball. A collective moment of madness.

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