Paris Saint-Germain vs Rennes

Parc des Princes sets the stage for a handsomely-looking Ligue 1 showdown between Paris Saint-Germain and Rennes.

Paris Saint-Germain’s celebratory mood after a 2-0 league win at Nantes and an identical Champions League triumph against Real Sociedad in the first leg of their last-16 tie has taken a knockout blow amid talks over Kylian Mbappe’s imminent transfer to Real Madrid. There’s a decent probability the standout forward will be farewell to Les Parisiens with another Ligue 1 title under his belt as Luis Enrique’s men commence this round 13 points clear at the table’s summit. Virtually unplayable in the domestic championship, the record-time French champions have only lost once in Ligue 1 action this season (W16, D5) and are unbeaten in their last 17 league outings (W14, D3), a feat they last achieved during a triumphant 2018/19 campaign.

Visiting Rennes will put PSG’s title credentials to a stern test despite bowing out of the Europa League in midweek. A 3-0 first-leg deficit proved a tall order for Les Rennais, as a 3-2 home win against AC Milan on Thursday (European time) was a mere consolation. However, that result solidified the visitors’ outrageous start to 2024, all competitions included (W9, L1), setting them up nicely for this mouth-watering trip. No strangers to upsetting PSG, they had won back-to-back H2Hs before a 3-1 defeat in October’s reverse fixture. Moreover, Julien Stephan’s side claimed a stunning 2-0 win in this corresponding match-up last season and could now post two consecutive away league victories against PSG for the first time since 2014.