Nimes Vs Rennes
Sunday 13 September 2020 – 14:00 (GMT)
French Ligue 1
Pick: Rennes to WIN
Odds: 13/10
Bookmaker: Betway
(All betting odds correct at time of writing: 9 September 2020)
Preview: Nimes unearthed four goals on their only home appearance of this fledgling Ligue 1 season, thrashing Brest 4-0 at the Stade des Costières. One suspects a Rennes side which boasted the best away defence in the league last season are significantly more equipped to handle the threat of Les Crocodiles this Sunday.
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Table of Contents
Nimes Preview – Les Crocs a different proposition on home soil?
Jerome Arpinon’s Nimes were the big winners when Ligue 1 became the first of the fabled top-five European leagues to get the ball rolling in 2020-21, surging to the front of the pack after dismantling a sorry Brest side to win 4-0 at Stade des Costières. It wasn’t long, though, before they were brought back down to earth, falling 2-0 behind with less than thirty minutes played the following weekend away in Nantes.
Despite Algerian midfielder Zinedine Ferhat pulling one back inside Stade de la Beaujoire, Nimes, in what was far less polished display from the one previous (NAN 2.2 – 0.97 NIM), were deservedly beaten by Nantes. That their eight loss away from home in the last nine Ligue 1 games, which contrasts sharply with their exploits at home where they’ve won four of their past five league encounters.
The only visiting team to prosper since the beginning of February was Marseille, who were the best of the rest behind PSG last term, and even then Nimes led early and made a proper fist of it towards the end in a spirited 3-2 defeat. Les Crocodiles also leaned heavily on their home form to keep them up last season, accruing six of seven victories as well as 74% of their total points at their Stade des Costières in southern France.
Rennes Preview – Best away defence to play its part?
While for Rennes Sunday’s lengthy trek to southern France represents an excellent opportunity to build on a promising start comprising four points from two games, for us neutrals it is another chance to marvel at the precocious talent of Eduardo Camavinga. Five days after debuting for the French senior side at the tender age of 17, the highly-coveted midfielder will lead his club’s efforts in claiming a second win of the new term.
It won’t be easy, however. Rennes have won one and lost one of two Ligue 1 clashes in Nimes since 2019, though did win last season’s corresponding fixture 1-0 on their way to completing a league double over said opponents. Moreover, their form on the road dipped markedly towards the end of the previous league campaign as they eked out just one win – against rock-bottom Toulouse – in their final four away match-ups.
That quickly became five away Ligue 1 games without winning after Lille held them to a 1-1 draw on the opening weekend. Julian Stéphan’s men would make no mistake second time out, though, meriting their 2-1 win over Montpellier on home soil (REN 1.4 – 0.43 MON). If Rennes are to make it back-to-back victories on Sunday, the defence will need to play its part: all six Ligue 1 away wins in 2019-20 were to nil.
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Nimes Vs Rennes Betting Advice
Last season, Nimes were incredibly fortunate to stave off relegation after finishing third from bottom. In any ordinary season, they would have been demoted. Yet had it not been for their record at home, they would have been in even greater peril, securing the vast majority of their points and wins at Sunday’s venue. However, Rennes, who finished on a real high in third, were one of six visiting sides to prevail at Stade des Costières.
Nimes Vs Rennes – Key Facts
- It is now one defeat in five Ligue 1 home games for Nimes (W4 L1), scoring two or more on four occasions.
- All six Rennes away victories in 2019-20 were achieved without conceding, helping them finish with the leanest away defensive record (10 conceded in 13 said games) in Ligue 1.
- Rennes did the double over Nimes last season, following up a 1-0 success at Stade des Costières in January by prevailing 2-1 at their Roazhon Park the following month.
An average of 1.64 goals per away game that Rennes were involved in was comfortably the lowest in Ligue 1 in 2019-20. In fact, no team conceded fewer goals (10 in 13 away games) on their travels that season than Julien Stephan’s robust side, suggesting that Nimes’ five-game scoring streak at home could be in real jeopardy this Sunday. Moreover, all six away wins for Rennes were to nil, including in Nimes in January (0-1). Rennes 2-0.
Best Betting Odds – Nimes Vs Rennes
Nimes – 9/4 (888Sport)
Draw – 11/5 (Betfair)
Rennes – 13/10 (Betway)
