Wrong Favourite
Here is an early tip ahead of the weekend's Ligue 1 fixtures, when Nantes will take on Rennes.
Nantes
Nantes went through a shaky period before they went on their winter break and if we look at their latest results we can see that they only have one win out of the last five league matches.
Last weekend they progressed in the cup after a 4-1 win at home against Ligue 2 team Cháteauroux. With 17 fixtures played, they find themselves in 14th place, and four points from the relegation zone. In my opinion, this is exactly where Nantes deserve to be, and they have been neither lucky nor unlucky this season.
The betting companies have settled for the wrong favourite
Vahid Halilhodzic, their manager will probably play a 4-3-3 with striker Emiliano Sala their most important player, having scored 12+2 in 16 matches.
It's important to mention that Nantes play Montpellier today at home, which could of course affect their standing before their game against Rennes on Sunday.
Rennes
Rennes suffered from a difficult autumn period, where they struggled to find the back of the net time and time again. I think Rennes have played some nice football this season, and it was only a matter of time before things began to go their way, which it has.
I don't see any reason why their current form shouldn't continue
Rennes will head into the weekend's match with six straight wins in a row, and having hit the heights of eighth place. If we look at the statistics we can see that Rennes take the third most shots in the league and defensively Rennes have conceded the fifth lowest amount of shots.
You can find a few exciting names in their squad including Ismaila Sarr, Benjamin Bourigeaud, Ben Arfa and Niang. I still think that Rennes are better than their league position suggests, and I don't see any reason why their current form shouldn't continue.
Just like Nantes, Rennes will play on Wednesday in a cup match away against Monaco which you should keep an eye on.
Betting tip
I think that the betting companies have settled for the wrong favourite in this match and I'm not alone in thinking that Rennes is the right side to back here. The odds on Rennes have already dropped and although it might not be that fun to bet on something that has already dropped a little in value, the fact is that Rennes, in my book should be the favourites ahead of Sunday's game so if we get odds above 1/1 on a DNB then I say go for it.
I recommend a bet of Rennes +0 Asian Handicap (get your money back if it's a draw) at odds of 51/50 with bet365.
/Viking
