One of the hottest teams in Ligue 1 will seek to take down the reigning champions this weekend as Rennes visit the Parc des Princes on Saturday to battle Paris Saint-Germain.
Heading into matchday 15, the Parisian side are second in the table following a 1-0 defeat at Monaco, putting them six points above Stade Rennais, who are fifth after blanking Metz 1-0.
Match preview
Perhaps the most predictable of the Big Five European competitions for years has been anything but that this time around, with the biggest Ligue 1 club slightly underperforming.
Luis Enrique’s men are a point back of Lens for the league lead coming into matchday 15, dropping points on five occasions in the competition this season.
A third loss this weekend could put them further behind in their quest to retain the title, while they would surpass their number of Ligue 1 defeats from the previous campaign (two).
It would also mark their first domestic defeat at home in Ligue 1 this season and only their second of 2025 after Nice beat them 3-1 in late April.
PSG have scored in every one of their league fixtures at the Parc des Princes since a 0-0 draw with Lorient in August 2023, while they have not conceded in five of their six top-flight outings this season in the City of Light.
Les Parisiens are unbeaten in their previous five meetings with the Brittany club across all competitions, including a 3-1 triumph in this exact fixture a season ago.
A season that appeared to be destined for disappointment yet again has taken a dramatic turn for the better at Stade Rennais, who are putting themselves in the Champions League conversation.
That is a massive twist of fate for Habib Beye, who appeared to be a dead man walking last month, entering November on a six-match winless run in Ligue 1.
The former PSG II defender has guided this team to four consecutive triumphs in this competition, winning those matches by a combined margin of 10-2.
Since being hammered 4-0 by Lorient on matchday two, Rennes have not lost a league contest away from home, collecting back-to-back clean sheets outside of Roazhon Park.
If they can win a third successive away match on Saturday, it would mark their longest such run in this competition, since collecting three straight triumphs as the visitors in between December 2023 and February 2024.
Les Rennais have lost their last three competitive matches versus Les Parisiens, but have points in two of their previous three Ligue 1 affairs against them at the Parc des Princes.
Paris Saint-Germain Ligue 1 form:
Paris Saint-Germain form (all competitions):
Rennes Ligue 1 form:
Team News
© Imago / Pressinphoto
A hamstring strain will keep Desire Doue out of the PSG fold this weekend, Achraf Hakimi is out due to an ankle issue, while Renato Bellucci Marin and Nuno Mendes are doubtful because of leg injuries.
Enrique brought in five new faces to his starting 11 against Les Monegasques, who did not begin their game with Le Havre, including Marquinhos, Willian Pacho, Lucas Hernandez, Fabian Ruiz and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
As for Rennes, Seko Fofana is expected to miss another match through injury, while we are unlikely to see Mahamadou Nagida, who was on the bench last time out, and will soon be joining Cameroon for the Africa Cup of Nations.
Valentin Rongier scored 22 minutes into their match against Metz, and his first of the campaign was enough to earn them maximum points, with Brice Samba making three stops for his fourth clean sheet of the season.
Paris Saint-Germain possible starting lineup:
Chevalier; Zaire-Emery, Zabarnyi, Pacho, Hernandez; Neves, Vitinha, Mayulu; Kang-in, Dembele, Kvaratskhelia
Rennes possible starting lineup:
Samba; Ait Boudlal, Jacquet, Brassier; Frankowski, Camara, Rongier, Cisse, Merlin; Lepaul, Embolo
We say: Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 Rennes
PSG rarely suffer consecutive defeats, and we expect them to put forth a much better effort and be at their best on Saturday against a side that have rarely gotten a foot wrong over the past few weeks.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.