Rennes vs Marseille – News and Probable Lineups

Stade Rennais is set to host Olympique Marseille this Friday evening at Roazhon Park for matchday four of the 2026-27 Ligue 1 season.

Les Rouge et Noir secured a 2-1 victory in their last league outing, scoring two goals early against Angers, while L’OM endured a painful 3-2 defeat at home to Paris FC.

Match overview

After concluding last season in sixth place with 59 points, thereby qualifying for European football for the first time in three years, Rennes will be pleased with their start in this season’s Ligue 1.

Despite being two goals up, Franck Haise’s squad managed to secure a commendable point at home against Paris Saint-Germain on the season’s first weekend, which they have built upon with consecutive league wins against Le Mans and Angers.

Currently occupying fifth place in the Ligue 1 standings with seven points from three matches and remaining one of only five teams without a loss, Les Rouge et Noir will aim to sustain their impressive form as they face a tougher set of fixtures in the coming weeks, including encounters against Marseille, Olympique Lyon, and Paris FC in their next four league matches.

While having found the back of the net seven times in league matches thus far—a tally only surpassed by Strasbourg—Rennes must address their defensive vulnerabilities if they want to compete with the league’s elite, as Haise’s team has already conceded five goals this season.

Nonetheless, Rennes has triumphed in three of their last four encounters with Marseille at Roazhon Park, with their most recent victory being a 1-0 win at the beginning of last season. This gives Les Rouge et Noir confidence that they can build on their encouraging start and aim for a spot in the UEFA Champions League positions.

Marseille, after winning the last two fixtures of the previous season, faced a bitter end to their 2025-26 Ligue 1 campaign, finishing just a point behind Lyon, who earned the final French qualifying spot for the European competition.

Having achieved qualification in three of the last four seasons, Les Olympiens desperately want to rebound from their late exclusion from the Champions League, yet the departure of several key players during the summer transfer window puts the nine-time champions at risk of sliding further away from the top four.

Despite an impressive 4-0 victory against Strasbourg on the opening weekend, Marseille has since suffered defeats in their last two outings, leaving them lingering in the bottom half of the table, in urgent need of a turnaround.

With a significant match against Paris Saint-Germain scheduled at the Stade Veledrome next Sunday, just days after their Europa League opener at Besiktas, L’OM is aiming to regain their form against Rennes this week to climb back up the league table.

Currently four points behind their opponents, Genesio’s side may not be favored to win on Friday, but they can take heart from having lost only one of the last five matches against Rennes, indicating they are capable of overcoming Les Rouge et Noir.

Team News

Rennes defender Abdelhamid Ait Boudlal, who missed the previous week’s 2-1 win over Angers due to the birth of his child, is expected to return to the lineup on Friday, likely partnering new recruit Charlie Cresswell in the central defence.

With Djaoui Cisse yet to feature for Les Rouge et Noir since May, his return to the matchday squad remains uncertain.

However, the hosts will be relieved to have goalkeeper Brice Samba back in action following his absence due to a minor muscle injury during the match against Le Mans.

Having scored three goals in three matches at the start of the Ligue 1 season, Haise will hope that Esteban Lepaul continues his excellent form, keeping Rennes in contention at the top of the league standings.

Marseille defender Geoffrey Kondogbia is likely to be sidelined until October following a thigh injury sustained against Mônaco a fortnight ago, while midfielder Tochukwu Nnadi is also out due to a knee injury he picked up in the same match.

On a brighter note, Les Olympiens welcomed back Igor Paixo last week after the 26-year-old Brazilian striker missed the previous match due to a thigh issue.

With four out of the club’s six goals scored so far this season, Algerian forward Amine Gouiri is undoubtedly a key player for Marseille and seems to have assumed the scoring role left by the recently departed Mason Greenwood and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Rennes probable starting XI:

Samba; Frankowski, Cresswell, Ait Boudlal, Merlin; Rongier; Bias, Szymanski, Camara, Tamari; Lepaul

Marseille probable starting XI:

De Lange; Weah, Egan-Riley, Aguerd, Emerson; Hojbjerg; Harit, Abdelli, Gomes, Paixo; Gouiri

As Marseille looks to shake off a tough start to the season, they will be eager to grab all three points against Rennes before the upcoming schedule becomes more demanding with the start of the European campaign.

Nevertheless, Rennes’ recent performances cannot be overlooked, and having not lost any of their last six competitive matches at Roazhon Park, the hosts seem likely to secure another victory in matchweek four.