Rennes welcome fellow European qualification contenders Lille to Roazhon Park on matchday 22 of Ligue 1 in 2022/23.
Bruno Genesio’s side currently occupies fifth place in the Ligue 1 standings, while Lille sits only one position behind their weekend hosts. Rennes are only eight points behind the Champions League qualification positions after 11 victories throughout the campaign.
Fonseca’s side were held to a goalless draw by fellow European qualification contenders Clermont at home last time out, despite Lille ending the game with 22 attempts on goal.
Both teams will look to grab all three points, and below are some of the stats comparing the teams’ performances in Ligue 1 this season.
Rennes – overall season
The above viz shows the percentile rank of Rennes compared to other teams in Ligue 1. They are ranked in the top 90.4 percentile for high press and the top 80.9 percentile for goals per 90. This is an indicator of their aggressive intent and willingness to strike this season.
Rennes have a good record of 12 wins, four draws, and five losses. They have netted 40 goals, averaging 1.82 xG per match. Their defence has let in 22 goals with an xGA rate of 1.01. Rennes’ players take 13.1 shots per match with a 40.2% accuracy rate. In terms of possession rate, they keep 56.37% ball possession on average per match.
Lille – overall season
It can be seen that Lille has better overall stats than Rennes in most departments. Notably, the hosts have the upper hand in terms of shots, xG, final third entries, and xGA.
Lille have won ten, drawn five, and lost six of their 21 Ligue 1 matches thus far. They have scored 35 goals, averaging 2.05 xG per match. Their defence has let in 26 goals with an xGA rate of 1.32. The team averages 14.76 shots per game with a 37.1% accuracy rate. Additionally, the team averages 58.71% possession per match.
Efficiency in attack
The two visuals above compare both teams on the basis of positional play and counter-attacks. The visitors hold a slight advantage for counterattacks, with 20% efficiency against the hosts’ 16%. Lille creates 32.95 positional attacks on average and takes shots from 26.3% of such plays. Meanwhile, Rennes creates 32.52 positional attacks per match, with 26.4% of them resulting in shots.
Alternatively, Lille launches 2.24 counterattacks per match, with 49.1% of these attacks ending in shots. Meanwhile, Rennes launches 1.67 counterattacks on average, with 37.1% of them ending in shots. We can expect the visitors to keep more possession and create more chances while the hosts adopt a more agile and efficient approach to their attacking moves in this fixture.
Success in defence
The above visual represents the ranking of teams in Ligue 1 based on their percentage of defensive duel wins. It can be seen that Lille are ranked second in the league for successful defensive duels. Lille have a 57% win rate in defensive duels, and Rennes, on the other hand, have a 53% success rate. On average, Rennes attempts 64.48 defensive duels and makes 40.67 interceptions per 90 versus 64.11 defensive duels and 39.63 interceptions per 90 for Lille.
Key asset
Jonathan David is pumping goals for Lille and is a crucial part of their attack. In the 2022–23 French Ligue 1, Jonathan David played 18 matches. David has 27 shots on target from a total of 53 and has scored 12 goals (10.84 xG). David averages 22 passes per game, has an 84% pass completion rate, and has four assists. All of his goals have come from inside and around the six-yard box, along with a few attempts on goal from outside the box. He averages 2.99 shots per 90 minutes with 52% accuracy.
Team News
Rennes manager Bruno Genesio could hand a debut to Djed Spence after the defender agreed to a season-long loan move from English Premier League outfit Tottenham Hotspur. Lyon loanee Karl Toko Ekambi may line up with Amine Gouiri and Desire Doue in the final third.
Following goalkeeper Leo Jardim’s unforeseen departure to join Vasco da Gama in his native Brazil, Lille made quick moves in the January transfer window by signing Benoit Costil on a permanent deal from fellow Ligue 1 outfit Auxerre. However, the French international has had to settle for a spot on the bench so far, with Lucas Chevalier set to keep the number one jersey for at least one more game.
Overall, with both sides going head-to-head for a place on the shores of the continent next season, Lille will look to continue their recent bragging rights by closing the gap to two points before the final whistle, whereas Rennes will look to extend their lead and increase the gap.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine
