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Olympique Marseille will try to claim its first Ligue 1 win in six weeks, but the hosts will have a difficult opponent coming at Velodrome, as Rennes is currently 5th in the standings.
Marseille`s inability to win games has been incredible this season and particularly lately. The hosts just don`t have the killer instinct to finish off matches and due to this fact, they are 10th in the league, recording 15 draws in 30 rounds! Marseille is coming after 5 consecutive 1-1 draws in Ligue 1, a series interrupted only by a 1-0 victory over Granville in the Cup a few weeks ago. Last time out, Marseille traveled to Lorient and it was obviously 1-1.
Rennes is in the hunt for a Champions League qualifying spot, as they are just 2 points behind third placed Nice. The visitors are in good form, posting 2 wins and 1 draw in the last three matches. The draw came last round, 2-2 at home against Lyon, a decent results against a Top 3 rival. Similar to Marseille, Rennes is also prone to draws – recording 12 such results in 30 Ligue 1 games.
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Team news & lineups:
Mendy and Barrada are out for Marseille. The hosts could also miss Dja Djedje, Diaby, Rekik and Cabella. Rennes is without Quintero, Sylla, Ntep and Mexer.
Marseille: Mandanda – Djedje, Rolando, N’Koulou, Manquillo – Diarra, Isla – Alessandrini, Cabella, Nkoudou – Batshuayi
Rennes: Costil – Danze, Diagne, Armand, M’Bengue – Fernandes, Andre – Grosicki, Dembele, Gourcuff – Sio
There`s really no reason to rate Marseille as a 1.90 favorite in this match, aside for the fact that they are a recognizable name. The hosts won just 2 out of 15 matches at home in Ligue 1 this season, so why would they be considered favorites to claim victory against a strong, in form Rennes team? The visitors are also the more motivated side, fighting desperately for Champions League qualification, while Marseille has mathematical chances to reach an Europa League spot, but there are too many teams between them and the qualifying positions.
Together, these two teams finished 45% of their matches as draws this season, so odds of over 3.50 for a tied game represent excellent value. Marseille doesn`t seem to have the power to defeat Rennes, while the visitors know that OM is hard to beat and would probably settle for a draw. A loss would really complicate things for Rennes (Marseille would come from the 10th place to just 3 points behind Rennes). All in all, the draw is the normal result here.
My tip will be a draw on the Rennes no bet market. The odds for this bet are still very good at Bwin, so it`s worth protecting ourselves in case Rennes snatches an unlikely victory. Prediction: Olympique Marseille – Rennes 2-2.
Pick: Draw – Rennes win no bet
Odds: 2.60 @ Bwin
Stake: 7
Possible profit: 11.20
Event date: 18 March
